One Hundred Missed Moments
by Scrawlers
Summary: One hundred father-son drabbles centering around Kratos Aurion and Lloyd Irving.
1. Drabbles 1 through 10

**Disclaimer: **Tales of Symphonia is so beyond not mine that it belongs to Namco.

**Authors' Note: **This is a drabble challenge for the One Hundred Themes challenge over on LiveJournal. I didn't request to claim these characters, and I'm not going to since they seem to want romance in the themes and I don't want to write about romance (I know, I'm so difficult), but nonetheless, here are my drabbles for the _familial bond _between Kratos Aurion and Lloyd Irving. **Spoilers for every single conceivable part of the game **will be in here, so be warned about that. Then again, if you haven't beaten the game, you really shouldn't be reading fanfiction for it in the first place, but I digress.

Nonetheless, here it is. Except lots of updates really fast, since I have seventy of these done and will be updating in groups of ten.

If you read, please review!

* * *

One Hundred Missed Moments

* * *

**001. **_**Savings box**_

Early into the Journey of Regeneration, Kratos noticed that Lloyd had poor spending habits. Whereas the group as a whole had a wallet, each member also had their own personal little bag of spending money, and Lloyd always seemed to be running on empty. "It's weird," Lloyd remarked at one point, "because I don't remember ever being this broke back in Iselia. I mean, yeah, it's not like there was a lot of shopping to be done in Iselia, but still . . ."

"You were better able to save your money back in Iselia, where you weren't tempted as much," Raine told him. "Perhaps if you learned to conserve it on this journey, you'd have more to spend when the time came."

Lloyd had let the subject drop, surprisingly, and when they came to Luin, Kratos made a side-trip in order to procure something he thought Lloyd might find useful.

"A savings box," he said simply when Lloyd looked at the small box questioningly. "Each time you find yourself in possession of extra gald, put half of it in the box, and don't touch it until you truly need it."

"Huh . . . That's a really good idea. Thanks, Kratos!" Lloyd looked thrilled at the idea of having a better way to not be as broke as he usually was, and Kratos found himself smiling a little as well, pleased that one of his efforts to teach his son went over relatively well, without the boy's stubbornness rearing its head.

-

**002. **_**Lip cream**_

"Ugh," Lloyd grunted, licking his lips for what had to have been the hundredth time. "My lips are so chapped! Stupid wind." He kicked a stone near the Asgard dais as if it was the stone's fault the winds were so strong, and Kratos sighed, reaching into his medicinal pouch to pull out a small container.

"Here."

"What?" Lloyd turned, catching the small round container in his hands. "What's this?"

"Medicinal ointment. If you apply that to your lip, it will help with the pain."

"Really?" Lloyd unscrewed the cap, dipping his finger into the container to rub some of the ointment on his lips. "Hm . . . It's minty!"

"Do your lips feel better?" Kratos asked, more intent on getting to the point. Lloyd grinned.

"Yeah, they're starting to. Thanks, Kratos."

"Heh. It was no trouble."

-

**003. **_**Photograph**_

"What are you doing?"

Lloyd looked up to see Kratos standing in the doorway of their shared room at the Asgard inn. He smiled faintly in greeting, yet then looked back down to the photo album he had in front of him, returning to sloppily putting captions beneath the pictures.

"Hey, Kratos. It's kinda dorky, I guess, but I'm fixing up my photo album."

"You have a photo album?"

"Yeah. Colette got it for me for my birthday one year. It's funny, 'cause Genis is the one with the camera." Lloyd looked up again, and then gestured for Kratos to come closer. "You wanna see? These are pictures from our journey. Turns out Genis has been taking 'em without any of us noticing."

Kratos walked closer, and found that he was indeed in some of the pictures. Many of them were blurry pictures of spars with Lloyd, in which neither of them were looking at the camera, and - in some cases - their backs were to the camera entirely. Yet there were other pictures, such as the two with hot chocolate mugs, which were actually fairly nice, if Kratos had to be honest with himself.

"Yeah, the sparring ones aren't so great," Lloyd said, as if he could hear Kratos' thoughts. "But I put 'em in anyway. It's something to remember, right? A way to remember the good times."

"The good times . . ." Kratos murmured, his eyes scanning the pictures before falling back to the one of them with the hot chocolate. "Indeed."

Later that night, when Lloyd was asleep, Kratos removed the hot cocoa picture from the photo album. _I'll keep it as a way to remember the good times, especially since you may not feel inclined to repeat them after we go to the Tower, Lloyd . . ._

-

**005. **_**Oil, Sex/One's Nature Magic**_

"Hey, Kratos? Can I talk to you for a sec?"

Kratos looked up from the book he'd been reading, and nodded once to show that Lloyd had his attention. Lloyd walked into the room, dropping down into a chair beside Kratos, fidgeting with his gloves. Kratos waited for a few moments for Lloyd to speak, sensing that words were on the tip of his son's tongue.

"Well, it's about . . . it's about girls." Kratos abruptly became more serious, marking his page before slowly closing his book. Lloyd wasn't looking at him. "Actually, about _a_ girl."

"The Chosen?" Kratos guessed. Lloyd looked up sharply, but before he could ask, Kratos merely remarked, "Anyone would be an idiot not to see." Lloyd's cheeks colored, and he looked away.

"Y - Yeah, well. I like her. A lot. And I'm . . . I'm not really sure what to do."

Due to the fact that Lloyd was seventeen, Kratos was positive that such a talk wouldn't be necessary. But he _was_ the boy's father, and if anyone had to do it . . . "All right, then we'll start from the talk. I'm assuming you already know all there is to know about the male reproductive system?" Best to get the basics out of the way first, and Kratos was positive there was no way Lloyd didn't know about his own body.

If Lloyd had blushed before, his face went absolutely scarlet at such a statement from Kratos. "No! I mean, yes! Yes I know!" Appearing absolutely mortified, Lloyd looked away from Kratos. "Jeez, Kratos, I'm not talking about _that_! I already know all about sex, there's no need for that!"

"Oh." Well, that certainly took a lot out of the way. Kratos had to admit that he was relieved, although he didn't find the conversation too uncomfortable to begin with. "Then what is it you're having difficulty with?"

"I just . . . don't know how to talk to her about that." Lloyd rolled his eyes. "Screw it. I'll just ask Zelos. He always knows what to say to girls anyway."

If there was one thing Kratos wouldn't stand for, it was Lloyd taking girl advice from Zelos Wilder. The last thing Lloyd needed was to be turned into the next womanizing man-slut, especially since Kratos was positive Zelos would take the first opportunity to make it happen. Reaching up, Kratos grabbed one of Lloyd's trailing white shoulder cloths, using it to yank the boy back down into the chair.

"No, you won't," he answered firmly. "You're going to sit here and you're going to listen. Talking to the Chosen of _Sylvarant_ really shouldn't be that difficult, but if you are nervous, there are a few ways you can go about it . . ."

-

**006. **_**Traveling abroad**_

"So . . . I'm still planning on making that boat."

Conversation had been minimal as they walked toward the glade of the new World Tree, and toward Kratos' departure to Derris-Kharlan. Kratos looked over to Lloyd, who was staring straight ahead.

"I figured I'd travel the world. You know, see all there is to see. And if there are any Exspheres out there . . . I'd find them, and destroy them." Lloyd looked over to Kratos, and then looked back ahead. "Do you remember talking about the boat? During the Journey of Regeneration?"

"Yes." Kratos remembered everything Lloyd had ever told him.

"Do you remember how you said you'd come with me?"

"No. I remember saying that I would think about it."

"Did you? Really think about it, I mean." Lloyd stopped, and Kratos turned to look at him. "I know anyone else would go with me," Lloyd began, "and Noishe is definitely coming, but . . . Besides Noishe, I don't really want anyone else to go with me. I kinda just want to travel with you, and get to know you better, Dad."

There was nothing Kratos wanted more than to agree in that moment. To forgo all plans of going to Derris-Kharlan, and instead take Lloyd - take _his son_ - up on the offer. But instead, all he could do was sigh, and turn to start the walk back toward the World Tree - a walk that felt more like a walk to the gallows.

"I'm sorry, Lloyd."

-

**007. **_**A group of shooting stars/falling stars**_

One night, in Tethe'alla, it was Lloyd's turn to keep watch. He took the most night shifts those days, because part of him still felt responsible for what happened in the Tower of Salvation, with Kratos, and besides, this way he could prove that he didn't really need Kratos at all.

But one night, while everyone else slept, there was a meteor shower. Lloyd almost woke up the others - at least Colette and Genis - but in the end decided against it, standing up to walk a little bit away from camp, staring up at the falling stars. Noishe came over to stand beside him, and as Lloyd reached over to pat Noishe on the neck, he thought of Kratos, and wondered if Kratos - who always stared up at the night sky when he was on night watch duty - was seeing the shower as well. Lloyd hoped he was, for though he still felt resentful and betrayed, he didn't think that someone who loved the stars like Kratos should miss out on a sight so beautiful.

Thousands of miles away, Kratos - thinking of Lloyd and how Lloyd shared the same appreciation for the stars that he did - was thinking along those very same lines.

-

**008. **_**Ball game**_

"Kratos!"

Kratos turned, hand on his sword hilt, but found nothing but a ball kicked over to him. Looking up, he found that Lloyd was grinning a fool's grin, waiting expectantly.

"Well?" Lloyd asked after a few moments of silence. "Kick it back! I found that ball abandoned on the beach. Genis is busy with the Professor making dinner, and Colette's doing her homework, so I figured that we could just play."

"Shouldn't you do your homework?" Kratos asked, and Lloyd rolled his eyes.

"I'll do it later. C'mon, kick it back. Or don't you know how to play ball?"

Truth be told, Kratos knew how to play, he just didn't _want_ to waste time with such a childish game. But then again, while Lloyd wasn't _a_ child, Lloyd was _his_ child, and he'd never had the chance to really play any sorts of games of the sort when Lloyd was growing up . . .

"Fine." Kratos kicked the ball back, but not directly at Lloyd - instead, he kicked it so that Lloyd had to run over to catch it with the side of his foot. "But we'll make this a training exercise - an exercise in endurance and speed."

"Heheh. That's what ball games really are, anyway." Lloyd grinned, kicking the ball hard, forcing Kratos to move to be able to block it with his knee. "I won't go easy on you."

"Heh." Kratos kicked the ball back with just as much force. "Neither will I."

-

**009. **_**King**_

"So, you were a knight for Meltokio?"

The question stopped Kratos cold, and he turned to look back at Lloyd with a surprised - yet wary - stare. "Who told you that?" he asked slowly, but Lloyd merely looked back with a curious expression.

"Zelos. Ever since we found out that you, Yuan, and Mithos were around four thousand years ago, he's been going through old Meltokio noble records to see if he could find any traces. It took awhile, and he had to pull some favors with Hilda to get into the _really_ old royal family records, but apparently there's a Kratos Aurion listed as a knight of the royal guard thousands of years ago. Who knew they kept records that long?" The question was rhetorical, and they both knew it. "So, you were a knight?"

". . . Yes." There was no point in hiding it. Kratos would merely have to kill Wilder later before he could dig up any more information.

"Did you serve the king, then?"

"No, the queen. At the time, there was no king. Only the queen."

"Oh, I see. But if the queen wasn't married, then how did the royal family carry on? I mean, she couldn't have kids if she wasn't married, right?"

Kratos sighed. He was in for a long night . . .

-

**010. **_**Burn**_

Kratos purposely lost both battles against Lloyd in the Tower of Salvation, unwilling to murder his son or his son's friends and companions. But upon his second "defeat," Lloyd - glaring at him with true disdain and fury - spat in an acid-coated tone, "I will _never_ lose to you."

It hurt - not enough so that Kratos would show it or dwell on it for awhile, but all the same, it did hurt somewhat to know that Lloyd held him in such disdain. It was understandable and deserved, but that didn't lessen the sting. What _did_ lessen the sting was Mithos' comment some time later, especially as he was in his younger form when he said it. Kratos knew that Mithos wasn't completely mature, knew that there were large parts of Mithos that were still fourteen, but even so, his words were so much like something Lloyd would say that they made Kratos grunt in amusement, the sting lessened by the ridiculousness of Mithos' sentiment:

"Man, what Lloyd said in the Tower of Salvation was harsh. What's that phrase he'd use? Oh, yeah, I remember. He burned you, Kratos. He burned you good."


	2. Drabbles 11 through 20

* * *

One Hundred Missed Moments

* * *

**011. **_**Trouble maker**_

Kratos never expected to see his son again. But, upon being reunited with his thought-dead son at the Martel Temple, the last thing he was expecting was to find that his son was a Grade A Troublemaker.

Of course, he supposed he should have suspected it. After all, he first found Lloyd in the midst of danger, in the middle of a Renegade attack. It should have been obvious that his son was going to be talented for nothing more than getting into trouble. _Just like when he was a child._

But unlike some tricksters, who caused trouble on purpose for their own entertainment, Lloyd didn't mean to cause trouble, and when he did, it was really for the benefit of others - in the long run. For this reason, when Kratos heard that Lloyd and his group had broken out of their prisons in Welgaia, he could only sigh and smirk.

Trust a trouble maker to find a way out and set off every alarm in Welgaia.

-

**012. **_**Vacuum cleaner**_

It was supposed to be a punishment.

When Lloyd and Noishe ended up covering the interior of Yuan's Triet Renegade Base with dirt and sand, Lloyd was assigned to clean it - a punishment as well as a way for Yuan's base to be put in order. But when Kratos was called to the base by Yuan, it wasn't to watch his son morosely clean the base.

It was to watch his son turn his punishment into a joyride.

"Lloyd," Kratos began, tiredly rubbing at his temples. "Stop that foolish behavior."

"Why?" Lloyd called over the roar of the vacuum. "This is so cool!" Lloyd was riding on top of the great machine, and - giving it a bit more juice - sent it whizzing down the corridor, sucking up sand and taking Lloyd along for the ride.

"This was supposed to be a punishment," Yuan remarked, irritation seeping into his tone. Kratos sighed.

"With Lloyd, things rarely go as they're supposed to."

-

**013. **_**Kiss**_

Kratos was hardly sure what to do with himself.

His son, whom he'd thought dead for the past fifteen years, was alive. Not only was he alive, but he was good friends with the Chosen of Regeneration, whom Kratos was leading to her death. Lloyd was insisting on coming along, having gotten himself kidnapped by the Renegades in order to do so, and at the end of it all, he was going to realize that Kratos had betrayed him - had been betraying him all along.

Kratos didn't want to betray Lloyd. But he had no choice.

It was late. Everyone else was already asleep, tucked into sleeping bags or - in the case of Lloyd - merely stretched out on the grass. Kratos looked over at Lloyd every now and then, drinking in the boy's appearance. He looked innocent. He _was_ innocent, for the most part. The past few weeks had been rough on him, what with his exile and the deaths he'd faced, but he still maintained a large part of the innocence that had been sheltered by the little village of Iselia.

Kratos had a feeling it was impossible, but he wanted Lloyd to keep that innocence.

Looking away from Lloyd, Kratos pulled out a golden locket, looking at the picture inside briefly before closing it and touching his lips to the golden casing. _Protect him, Anna. Protect him where I could not, cannot - help him keep that innocence._

-

**014. **_**Muscular Training**_

"Exercises?" Lloyd looked at the list Kratos handed him, and Kratos nodded.

"Yes. Training in the way of the sword does not merely entail learning technique for swinging your blade. You must also train your body and build muscle mass."

Lloyd frowned as he studied the list. "This . . . this is crazy! Before breakfast I have to do ten push-ups, ten sit-ups, all of these stretches, ten pull-ups if nearby forests provide branches . . ." Lloyd trailed off, looking at the exercises for the afternoon and evening.

"Hm," Kratos grunted. "My previous student would do fifty of each in the morning, one hundred of each in the afternoon, and fifty at night." At Lloyd's look of absolute horror, Kratos turned away. "You'll begin tomorrow morning. Don't be late."

-

**015. **_**Young leaves mark**_

"It's not fair."

Kratos looked over at Lloyd, watching the boy as he was seated on the Hima cliff edge, looking out to the Tower of Salvation.

"What isn't fair?"

"This. All of this. Colette having to sacrifice her humanity, all of those Desians having to die . . . I didn't want to kill them." Lloyd's voice sounds young, almost childish, and Kratos is about to chide him for it when he thinks better of it. "It's not fair."

"People must play with the hand fate deals them," Kratos said after a moment. "For the Desians, it was their ate to die by fighting for the Grand Cardinals. For the Chosen, it is her fate to become an angel in order to save the world."

"Screw fate," Lloyd muttered, picking up a rock and throwing it off the edge. "Who decides fate, anyway? If we have this fate, we should be able to change it. We should be able to get a new hand."

"Sometimes . . . life doesn't work that way."

"Then we should just make it work."

It was just like Lloyd to say something like that. Just like him to use the naivety he still held to form his world view. But although it was comforting on some level to see that Lloyd was still so young, not calloused by their travels, it was also worrisome, for that naivety could easily kill him in the end.

-

**016. **_**Hypnosis: A sticker for new car drivers**_

Kratos wasn't sure what made him worry more.

The fact that Lloyd looked half-dead when he was dragged from the Tower of Salvation by the Renegades.

The fact that he had no idea where Lloyd was.

The fact that Lloyd was undoubtedly going to try and find a way to save Colette, thereby continuing to go against Cruxis and put his life at risk.

Or the fact that Lloyd had stolen a Rheaird when Kratos knew for a fact the boy had no idea how to fly it.

The news that Lloyd crashed his Rheaird was not surprising to Kratos, considering that he had flown to Tethe'alla with virtually no knowledge on how to work the aircraft. It wasn't surprising, but it was worthy of immediate attention. Without thinking, without even announcing his absence, Kratos headed for Tethe'alla himself.

And that was how he found Yuan and Lloyd engaged in battle atop the Fooji Mountains.

Lloyd was unharmed. That was the best news that Kratos could have received. Lloyd wasn't happy to see him, of course, but that hardly mattered to Kratos. He was unharmed. His accident hadn't killed him. The Rheaird was totaled, but that was fine. The Rheairds could be repaired.

But, with the instinctual feeling that all parents had when it came to teenagers and vehicles, Kratos knew this wouldn't be the last time Lloyd took the Rheaird out for a joyride. And so, sending a private request to fate to keep the boy safe, Kratos secretly slipped a Rheaird instruction manual into Lloyd's travel pack. Lloyd hated reading, but with any luck, the subject of learning how to properly fly a Rheaird would interest him.

_Please, let it interest him._

-

**017. **_**The Duty of Siblings**_

One day, Kratos walked out of his room at the inn to find himself doused in water with a bucket set poised above the door.

He wasn't sure how to react at first. Not even as Lloyd rounded the corner and burst into laughter, his eyes sparkling with mirth. "Gotcha," he said, grinning broadly. Kratos' eyes narrowed dangerously, his fingers flexing into fists.

"Lloyd," he began, "dare I ask what was going through your mind when you set this up?"

"Don't you remember our conversation yesterday during training?" Lloyd asked. "I said that you were like family, even though you were too young to be my dad. You're my older brother."

Kratos remembered the ironic conversation all-too well. "And?"

"Well, if you're the older brother, that means I'm the younger brother. And as the younger brother, it's my duty to be as annoying as possible. If Genis' behavior has taught me anything over the years, it's that." Something seemed to occur to Lloyd then, as his eyes widened. "But, wait. This is usually the part where I'd catch Genis and give him a noogie or put him in a headlock or something."

"Indeed," Kratos agreed, slowly walking toward Lloyd. Lloyd began taking steps back before he turned and bolted, calling over his shoulder,

"Uh, see you later, Kratos! Talk to you later!"

-

**018. **_**Straight perm**_

". . . Lloyd? What happened to you?"

Kratos hadn't seen Lloyd in a couple weeks, due to working for Cruxis while Lloyd and his ragtag group rampaged all over Tethe'alla. Even so, he wasn't expecting to find his son in such a . . . _state_.

Lloyd gave Kratos a sullen look, blowing his brown hair out of his eyes. When such an action proved unsuccessful, he reached up to try and push it out of his vision with no luck.

"Zelos happened to me," he muttered flatly. "He _attacked_ me with all these weird chemicals, and now my hair is all down and straight." Once again, Lloyd reached up to try and push his hair out of his eyes. "I hate it! It just gets in the way, and . . . and . . ." Something seemed to occur to Lloyd, and his scowl became darker. "And it looks like yours!"

Kratos blinked, though he did notice the resemblance now that Lloyd pointed it out. The only difference in their hairstyles was that Kratos' was longer. Upon realizing this, Kratos turned away, his expression impassive.

"Hm. I wasn't aware that was a bad thing."

-

**019. **_**Rest one's head on a person's lap**_

"Daddy?"

Kratos turned, watching as his toddler son appeared in the doorway, rubbing at his eyes and clutching his blanket. Slowly, little Lloyd walked outside, trailing his blanket before him and yawning.

"Lloyd. What are you doing up?"

"Daddy's ou'side," Lloyd answered, and Kratos knelt down to be more on his son's level. "Wanna see Daddy."

"You should be asleep."

"_Wanna_ see _Daddy_," Lloyd repeated firmly, and Kratos sighed. As much as Anna tended to their son, Lloyd still seemed to favor his father, wanting to go wherever Kratos went and do whatever Kratos did. He loved his mother, of course, but he seemed to look up to Kratos as something of a hero, and Kratos would be lying if he said that didn't make him feel good.

"All right, Lloyd," Kratos acquiesced, sitting on the ground just outside of their temporary home. Lloyd plopped down next to his father, snuggling in once Kratos put an arm around his son. "You can stay with me, but only for a little while."

"'Kay," Lloyd agreed, sighing in contentment. After a moment, Lloyd pointed up to the sky. "Daddy, whazzat?"

"That's a star, Lloyd."

"That?"

"Another star."

"That?"

". . . Another star."

"That?"

"The moon." Kratos hesitated, and then added, "Some mistakenly call it Tethe'alla."

"Oh. Tezzalla." Lloyd snuggled closer, so that his head was lying more on Kratos' lap instead of against his side, and yawned again. "Daddy?"

"Yes, Lloyd?"

"I lo' you."

Kratos looked down, smiling faintly at Lloyd's tuft of brown hair, at the way his breathing was slowly evening out.

"Love you too, Lloyd," he murmured, placing one hand softly on the boy's head.

-

**020. **_**Contract**_

"So, what do you have to do when you're a mercenary to get a job?"

Kratos looked over to Lloyd, who looked back with the same level of curiosity present in his voice. "What do you mean?"

"I mean . . . Like, back in Iselia. I know that you just agreed to protect Colette in the chapel, but what about for this journey? Did you and the mayor just shake hands or something?"

"No. We drew up a contract."

"A contract?"

"A legal document detailing what exactly I would be doing and how much pay I would be receiving for it. One copy was given to me, and one was kept by the mayor."

"Oh." Lloyd fell silent, and Kratos once again wondered if Lloyd was thinking of becoming a mercenary. It was not the type of career path he'd chose for his son, but then, what place did he have to say what Lloyd should do with his life? "Sounds overly complicated and kinda boring."

"Heh." All thoughts of Lloyd wanting to be a mercenary were driven from Kratos' mind. "Yes, I suppose it would sound like that."


	3. Drabbles 21 through 30

* * *

One Hundred Missed Moments

* * *

**021. **_**Quiz**_

Lloyd hated quizzes. He hated quizzes, he hated tests, and he hated homework. But when he was the one doing the quizzing, he found that it wasn't so bad.

"When's your birthday?"

Kratos liked quizzes. He found quizzes, tests, and homework to be useful. But when Lloyd was quizzing him with pointless personal questions, he found that he detested it.

"I don't see how that's of any relevance."

"Oh, c'mon! You said the same thing about your favorite color. It's _very_ important, trust me."

"Why? Why is it important?" Kratos demanded, ignoring the way Colette hid a laugh behind her hand, Raine smiled, and Genis rolled his eyes with a grin.

"Because," Lloyd answered, "I like to know my friends. Since we're friends, I figured we'd just get all the basics out of the way. So, what's your favorite color?"

Kratos sighed, yet then looked ahead again, figuring it'd be easiest just to give in. "Brown," he answered finally, thinking of Anna's eyes. "My favorite color is brown."

-

**022. **_**Emotion**_

"Hey, you okay?"

Kratos, previously in the process of washing his face at the broken fountain in Luin, looked up to see Lloyd walking toward him. They'd just escaped the Asgard Human Ranch with the help of Sheena, and Kratos could see in Lloyd's eyes that the boy was still upset over the entire ordeal.

Kratos could always tell what Lloyd was feeling by looking at his eyes.

"I'm fine," Kratos answered automatically, drying his face with the small towel he'd brought with him. Kratos could clearly see that Lloyd didn't believe him, and that allowed irritation to edge into his voice as he snapped, "What?"

"You don't look fine," Lloyd replied, seemingly not fazed by Kratos' anger. "You looked pissed off." Kratos grunted, turning away.

"Hmph. Perhaps I am. It isn't every day that we're met with total and utter failure. Too many mistakes were made for my liking."

"So?" Kratos' grip tightened around his towel as Lloyd came closer. "We're not done. There's no way Kvar's getting away with what he's done. No way he's getting away with hurting all of those innocent people, and . . . and my mom." Kratos heard the catch in Lloyd's voice, but only barely; his hand was now gripping the towel so hard that he vaguely thought he might punch a hole through the cloth.

"Some mistakes cannot be rectified," he ground out, turning to face Lloyd. Something in his expression must have shown what he was feeling, for Lloyd took a step back. "There are times when mistakes are permanent, when one wrong move could result in irrevocable damage."

"This wasn't like that," Lloyd pointed out. "We're gonna go back tomorrow and we're going to make Kvar pay. I don't know what your deal with him is - "

"I don't have a "deal" with him."

" - but whatever it is, you're going to be able to settle it. Okay?"

Kratos and Lloyd stared at each other for a few moments more, both of their expressions burning, before Kratos walked around Lloyd and started to head toward the exit of Luin.

"Let's return to camp," he grunted. "The others are waiting for us there."

-

**023. **_**Castle in the Sky**_

"This place gives me the creeps."

Kratos looked sideways at Lloyd as they walked through Vinheim, heading toward the final battle with Mithos; for better or worse, everything would finally come to an end.

"It just feels so empty," Lloyd went on. "Even with the angels here, it just feels . . . empty."

"Mm." Kratos closed his eyes briefly, and then said, "Perhaps that's because it is."

"Huh?"

"Mithos has filled this castle with angels - lifeless beings. Perhaps it is their lifelessness that gives it the empty, haunted feeling that you sense."

"Yeah . . . that makes sense." Lloyd looked over at an angel, who drifted listlessly by a wall, before looking away, frowning. "I hate it."

-

**024. **_**Hay fever**_

"Daddy." Kratos lowered his book, looking over at Lloyd with a raised eyebrow to show that he was listening. The toddler had his face scrunched up in a frown, his little arms folded over his chest. "Daddy, I'm confuzzed."

"Confused, Lloyd," Kratos corrected. "What's confusing you?"

"Mommy has "hay fever,"" Lloyd said slowly, looking up at Kratos with pleading brown eyes. "But Daddy, there's no hay!"

"Come again?"

"I lookeded," Lloyd insisted. "I lookeded in Mommy's room an' in my room an' in Noishe's room ou'side. I lookeded and there's no hay. Hay's that yellow stuff 'round horsies, right? That stuff's not in Mommy's room!"

Kratos sighed, though he did so with a wry smirk. "Hay fever isn't caused by actual hay, Lloyd," he said, reaching down to pull the boy up onto his lap. "It's actually caused by pollen, which is released into the air and serves as an allergen . . ."

-

**025. **_**Pierce**_

Lloyd didn't expect his swords to reach home.

He was fighting his hardest. He promised Kratos that he wouldn't hold back -- that too much was riding on that one battle. The fate of the worlds, his own resolution with his father . . . but even so, to feel his sword pierce through Kratos' abdomen, to see blood flow from the wound and see Kratos stumble back . . . he wasn't expecting it.

And Lloyd wasn't expecting it to be fatal.

"Kratos?" Lloyd saw Kratos stumble and slump back against Origin's Seal, watched the mana begin to pour from his body. "Kratos!" Kratos collapsed, and - to Lloyd's horror - lay still and prone upon the grass.

Unable to move, unable to react, Lloyd could only think that if he would have known that would happen, he wouldn't have agreed to the duel in the first place.

-

**026. **_**Body fat**_

"You're out of shape."

"What?" Lloyd snapped, his tone immediately defensive, just as it always was when Kratos criticized him. They'd entered the Martel Temple no less than ten minutes ago, and Kratos was already on his case again.

"You're out of shape," Kratos repeated. "Your endurance - or lack thereof - shows that, along with . . ."

"Along with what?" When Kratos merely grunted and didn't answer, Lloyd insisted, "Along with _what_?!"

"You could stand to build some muscle in your gut."

Genis burst out laughing, and Colette's eyes widened, a hand going over her mouth. Lloyd narrowed his eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Lloyd," Genis said in-between laughter, "he's saying you're fat!"

"That's not - " Kratos began, but Lloyd - his temper flaring - reached out and slammed his fist into the top of Genis' head, his cheeks tinted in embarrassment.

"Shut up, Genis!" Lloyd then looked to Kratos, his gaze burning. "I'm not fat."

"I never said you were. I merely said - "

"I don't care what you said! Hear that? I just don't care!" Turning, Lloyd stomped further into the temple, and Kratos sighed.

Lloyd certainly had his mother's temper.

-

**027. **_**Soap bubbles**_

Kratos had thought that giving Noishe a bath wouldn't be too difficult. After all, he and Noishe had a long history of partnership. Surely Noishe wouldn't be disagreeable with _him_.  
He was wrong.

He was covered in water and soap due to Noishe's thrashing, the protozoan himself mostly dry and staring at Kratos from a few feet away. Kratos glared, clenching one fist, tempted to use Judgment and only barely restraining himself. He was about to threaten Noishe when another voice cut in.

"See, told you it was hard."

"Lloyd." Kratos turned to see Lloyd walking up, kicking at the large tub of soapy water that Kratos had prepared. "Noishe hates baths."

"So it would seem." Kratos glared at Noishe, though an idea was slowly forming in his head. ". . . Lloyd."

"Yeah?"

"Stay here. If we work together, we may yet be able to accomplish this task." Kratos glanced at Lloyd out of the corner of his eye and then said, "I'll make sure he runs straight for you. Make sure you catch him."

Lloyd grinned. "Got it."

Kratos slipped away, aware that Noishe was watching suspiciously. It didn't matter. In a few minutes, Noishe would be the one covered in soap and water, and Kratos would have the victory that he so deserved.

-

**028. **_**Secret**_

"Hey, Kratos."

Kratos looked over at Lloyd as the boy walked over. They were camping outside of the Balacruf Mausoleum, and Kratos raised an eyebrow to show that he acknowledged Lloyd's statement. What the boy said next made his stomach clenched.

"I know a secret."

"Do you?" Kratos' tone was neutral, and he turned to look back in the direction of the Sylvarant plain.

"Yup." Lloyd dropped down to sit next to Kratos. "I finally figured it out. I always did think it was weird, but . . . Why didn't you tell me?"

_How could he have found out? Was it . . . was I really that obvious?_ "I didn't believe it was the right time."

"Why? It's not like it's anything that awkward. Besides, this just means we have something in common." Lloyd laughed, pulling up a blade of grass and twirling it between his fingers. "And now I won't be the only one anymore."

"Yes, so it would seem." The situation was surreal. Never in his life would Kratos have expected Lloyd to take the news so well - to understand so easily that Kratos was his father. Then again, perhaps Lloyd was merely hiding his anger or resentment - Kratos had to make sure. "You are all right with it, then?"

"All right with it? Why wouldn't I be? Now that I'm not the only one who hates tomatoes, Genis can't insist on using them at mealtime!" Lloyd laughed outright, and Kratos felt his stomach drop. At his silence, Lloyd stopped laughing, and then asked, "What?"

". . . Nothing." Kratos looked away again, this time looking up at the night sky. "Nothing at all."

-

**029. **_**Thing left behind**_

It wasn't until he was already on Derris-Kharlan that Kratos realized what he had forgotten.

It wasn't so much that he forgot it as it was that he didn't take it back. He hadn't meant to originally, when he'd first given the locket to Lloyd, but even so, he ached for it now that it was in Aselia while he was on Derris-Kharlan. It was, after all those years, the only picture that he had of his family. The only physical reminder he had of what he'd once had, and of what _she_ looked like. Kratos would always remember her - would never forget her in all the years of his immortal life - but he still wanted that locket. He still wanted that picture to look at.

And he would never have it again.

But there was some consolation, on some level. Lloyd was in possession of the locket, wearing it around his neck the last Kratos knew. That fact alone filled Kratos with some sense of contentment. Lloyd wore it around his neck because Lloyd accepted that Kratos was his father - accepted the family that fate had denied him. Kratos couldn't have the locket himself, but he could at least have the reassurance that his son accepted him, and on some level, that was enough.

-

**030. **_**Blood**_

"Dammit!" Lloyd hissed, gritting his teeth. One of the vagabonds they'd encountered had stabbed him with a dagger, leaving the blade in as he was knocked unconscious by Lloyd. "Son of a . . . damn, damn, dammit!"

"Leave it," Kratos ordered as Lloyd reached up to pull the dagger out of his side. Lloyd looked up, panting lightly, staring at Kratos as though he was crazy. "If you'll pull it out, it will make the bleeding increase."

"And if I leave it in, it'll hurt," Lloyd grumbled, but did as he was told as Kratos began to charge his magic. Moments later, soothing wind wrapped around the wound, and Kratos walked over to carefully pull the dagger out of Lloyd's side.

As much as Lloyd hated being hurt, Kratos hated seeing his son bleed. The most important thing to do, however, was not to show that disdain, and merely help prevent the boy from causing any more damage to himself. As much as it was possible to prevent Lloyd from doing anything, anyway.


	4. Drabbles 31 through 40

* * *

One Hundred Missed Moments

* * *

**031. **_**Glasses**_

Kratos had expected Lloyd, Colette, and Genis to want to play around once they reached Palmacosta, but even so, it was beginning to grow old.

"How do I look in these?" Lloyd asked, turning to his friends. He'd found a pair of glasses in a small accessory shop, and had tried them on for show. Truth be told, he didn't look _too_ bad, but Kratos still found himself frowning.

"Lloyd, you don't need glasses."

"I know that," Lloyd answered, rolling his eyes. "But I thought it'd be fun. Besides, it's not too hard to see with them."

"Really?" Raine had walked over by that point, her eyebrows raised. "Lloyd, perhaps glasses could benefit you. It could explain why your handwriting has been horrible for all of these years."

"What? I can see just fine!" Lloyd retorted, and Kratos nodded.

"Yes. There is no history of - of Lloyd having trouble with his vision during this journey." No one but Raine seemed to notice his slip-up, but she merely raised an eyebrow before looking away again.

-

**032. **_**Homemade**_

"Lloyd . . . It's time."

"Wait." Kratos wondered how Lloyd was going to procrastinate the journey to Derris-Kharlan next as Lloyd began to search his pockets before finally pulling something out. "I, uh . . . I made something for you. Y'know, so you wouldn't forget."

"Hm?" There was no chance at all of Kratos forgetting his son, but he didn't say anything as Lloyd held out what appeared to be a small charm on the end of a long chain.

"You can attach it to the hilt of your sword," Lloyd explained. "Or . . . anywhere, really. I made it last night. It's so you don't forget, and maybe it'll give you luck." Lloyd smiled, though the smile looked a bit strained. Kratos' answering smile - small though it was - was strained as well.

"Thank you, Lloyd."

"You're welcome . . . Dad."

-

**033. **_**Punishment**_

"Silent treatment is immature."

Despite Kratos' statement, Lloyd still said nothing, refusing to look at Kratos at all.

"This is unlike you," Kratos remarked. He wasn't sure why he was filling the silence, or why he was even there. His original reasoning was that he wanted to see what Lloyd's group was going to do next, but now that he had Lloyd on his own and Lloyd was refusing to speak to him, Kratos found that he was there for another reason entirely. "Ordinarily, you say far too much."

The silence continued to drift between them. Finally, Lloyd muttered, "I have nothing to say to you."

Those seven words carried more weight than any other Lloyd could have spoken. They felt heavy and hard in Kratos' stomach. And upon seeing that Lloyd truly wasn't going to say anything more, Kratos accepted his punishment and turned to leave.

-

**034. **_**2-seater**_

"Well . . ." Lloyd began, looking at the Rheaird with an air of skepticism. "I think it can fit two people. So you can just ride along with me."

"No."

Kratos' voice was firm, and Lloyd looked over to him with a frown. "How else are we supposed to travel?" he demanded. "We only have one Rheaird and it'll take too long to fly with our wings."

"I meant, 'no, I won't ride with you,'" Kratos answered, walking over to take the front side of the Rheaird. "If anyone is going to pilot the Rheaird, it's going to be me. Get on."

"What? That's not fair! It's _my_ Rheaird!" Lloyd argued, but Kratos showed no signs of budging on the subject. With a loud, irritated sigh, Lloyd climbed onto the back, glaring at Kratos' auburn hair. "If anyone sees this and mocks me for it, I'm never gonna forgive you."

"Heh." With an amused chuckle barely escaping his lips, Kratos turned the engine on and guided the Rheaird into the air.

-

**035. **_**Memory loss**_

Lloyd didn't know what boggled his mind more: the fact that Kratos was somehow back from Derris-Kharlan, or the fact that Kratos was giving him a blank stare.

"Kratos?" Lloyd tried again, taking a step forward. Kratos moved as if to take a step backward. With more hesitation in his voice this time, Lloyd asked, "Dad?"

Silence passed between them, and Kratos' voice was as blank as ever. When he spoke, his words were wary and carefully chosen, and they were strong enough to make Lloyd feel that someone had rammed a giant stone statue into his stomach:

"Who are you?"

-

**036. **_**Glasswork**_

"Whoa . . . Kratos, look at this! It's amazing!"

Kratos walked over to Lloyd, who was standing at a small stand of glass-blown figures. Luin was known for its beautiful and tranquil nature, and it was also known for producing some of the finest art in Sylvarant. In his hands, Lloyd held a little glass version of Noishe, looking as though it had just cooled enough for him to touch it.

"He just made it," Lloyd explained. "He saw Noishe a little while ago. Isn't it cool?"

"Indeed. It is rather remarkable." Kratos' eyes flicked up to the merchant before looking back down. "You're quite talented."

"Thank ya," the merchant replied, beaming. "If ya want it, it'll be thirty thousand gald."

"Thirty thousand gald?!" Lloyd nearly dropped the figure, and would have had Kratos not reached out to steady it. "I don't have that much!"

"Then I'm afraid ya can't keep it." The merchant reached out to take the little miniature Noishe, and Lloyd groaned.

"Aw, man . . ."

"Come on, Lloyd," Kratos said, putting a hand on Lloyd's shoulder as he made to steer the boy away. "The glass figure is impressive, but it's nothing compared to the real creature."

"Yeah . . ." Lloyd spared one last look at the glass figurine of Noishe, and then turned to leave with Kratos. "You're right."

-

**037. **_**Experiment**_

To say that Kratos wasn't pleased to return from cleaning up to find that his sword was missing would be the understatement to end all understatements. He wasn't defenseless, of course - Kratos was never defenseless - but that didn't mean that he was pleased. He wasn't. Not in the least bit.

Fortunately, his sword wasn't that far away. Exiting the inn, Kratos found Lloyd training just on the outskirts of Palmacosta, Kratos' sword in hand. Kratos frowned, watching as Lloyd tried to swing the sword while his other hand held Kratos' shield, his gait unsteady and clumsy.

"Lloyd, what are you doing?"

"Huh?!" Lloyd whirled around, eyes going wide, and smile turning sheepish. "Oh, uh, hi, Kratos. I was just, uh . . . I just wanted to, y'know, try some stuff . . ."

"By stealing my sword and shield?"

"I didn't steal them!" Lloyd protested quickly. "I was just borrowing them! I was going to give them back!"

"Right," Kratos replied dryly, walking out to retrieve his gear. "Lloyd, are you interested in abandoning your dual swords?"

"Of course not," Lloyd answered promptly, patting the swords that he still wore on his belt. "I like using two swords. Makes me stronger." Kratos didn't remark on Lloyd's faulty logic, instead choosing to merely take a breath and let it go. "But I was just curious about your style, and figured I'd try it out. It wasn't going too well."

"That would be because this type of sword is not suited for one of your body type. It's almost too long for me." Kratos looked at the long steel blade before sheathing it, giving Lloyd a stern look. "What's more is that since you're not familiar with using this length and size of blade, you could have severely injured yourself. With no one out here to aid you, you would have been helpless. Such careless acts cannot be tolerated on a journey such as this one, Lloyd."

"I was being careful," Lloyd grumbled, yet then sighed, rolling his eyes. "Sorry, Kratos." The apology wasn't sincere in the slightest, but in light of finding the boy unharmed, Kratos couldn't bring himself to be too angry.

"Good. I hope you're learned your lesson." Ignoring the sarcastic look that Lloyd gave him, he added, "Now, would you like a few pointers for using a sword such as this one?"

If there was one thing that could never fail to interest Lloyd, it was swordplay, and he nodded eagerly as Kratos brought the sword out again, launching into an impromptu sword lesson.

-

**038. **_**Shell**_

Kratos had honestly thought that he would be okay with it. So long as his son wasn't dead, he thought he'd be able to live with it. Thought that, at the very least, he'd be content.

He wasn't. Not at all. In fact, he felt sick, despite the fact that he hadn't been able to get sick in over four thousand years.

The Key Crest had been removed, allowing the Exsphere - the special Angelus Project Exsphere that had taken Anna's life - to complete its parasitism. Much like Presea Combatir had been when Lloyd's group had first encountered her in Meltokio, Lloyd was now completely at the mercy of the Exsphere. He had no conscious recognition of what was going on around him. He could take orders. He could take them and could follow them perfectly. He could interact with others when spoken to directly, he could interact with the world around him when the situation called for it. But there was no life in his eyes - his brown eyes were dark and blank and empty, devoid of any and all light - and no personality in his voice. He never smiled anymore, never laughed. He answered to the name _Lloyd_, but he wasn't Lloyd. Not anymore. He'd been reduced to nothing but an empty shell, and that made Kratos' stomach clench.

But what made his stomach churn - what really and truly made him sick - was how Mithos took advantage of Lloyd's newfound "loyalty."

"No, Lloyd!" Colette insisted, tears springing in her eyes and her voice breaking. The rest of her friends were already dead. As per the agreement, Mithos had killed them when they reached the Tower of Salvation, sparing Lloyd - who promptly had his Key Crest removed by Mithos and Pronyma - and Colette to be used as Martel's vessel. "Please, I know you're in there somewhere! I know you are! You have to fight this - you have to listen to me! Please, I know you don't want to do this! Lloyd!"

"Lloyd," Mithos spoke up, his voice an idle drawl over Colette's screams. Kratos, standing stoically in the back of the room, clenched his fist and his teeth as he heard the condescension in Mithos' voice and Lloyd's mechanical response.

"Yes, Master?"

"Take Colette to the Hall of the Great Seed. It's time for Martel to finally awaken."

"Yes, Master." Ignoring Colette's protests, Lloyd walked forward, easily securing both of her wrists in his hands and pulling her arms behind her back, all but dragging her toward the warp portal near the Eternal Sword. Once they were gone, Mithos looked to Kratos, the smirk on his adult face unlike the beaming smile that Kratos remembered from Mithos' childhood.

"Well? He's alive. Aren't you satisfied, Kratos?"

Kratos knew that the truth would only result in Lloyd's death, and despite the fact that his son was now a puppet - a puppet and slave being used for Mithos' own enjoyment - he couldn't bring himself to create that fate. And so, echoing his son, he gave the only answer that he could:

"Yes, Master."

-

**039. **_**Playing House**_

Kratos was not sure why he agreed to come along.

"I'm on a boat! I'm on a boat! Everybody look at me 'cause I'm sailing on a boat!"

He was supposed to be on Derris-Kharlan. That was his punishment, that was his atonement. Instead, for whatever reason, he'd agreed to stay behind. Furthermore, he'd agreed to search for Exspheres with Lloyd. And in addition to that, he'd agreed to live with Lloyd.

On Lloyd's boat.

"I'm on a boat! I'm on a boat! Take a good hard look at the motherfu - "

"Lloyd," Kratos cut in, looking over to Lloyd with a look of pure irritation. "Stop that ridiculous singing."

"But it's true!" Lloyd pointed up, still standing up on railing of his boat. "I'm on a boat and it's going fast and I've got a nautical themed pashmina afghan - "

"No, you don't," Kratos interrupted, and Lloyd rolled his eyes.

"So? It's part of the song. Anyway . . . I'm the King of the World, on a boat like Leo! If you're on the shore, then you're sure not me-oh!"

"Who is Leo?"

"I have no idea."

-

**040. **_**Rope**_

And to think, Lloyd had wanted to use the rope as a rope swing before.

Kratos was more than glad that he hadn't allowed Lloyd to follow up on his childish whim. Just as the assassin that had tried to kill the Chosen had fallen into a trapdoor, Lloyd had now fallen into a pit himself - a pit that used to be a well, hidden amongst the leaves and bramble of the Ossa Trail. The Chosen One, naturally, was nearly frantic with her concern and wanted to use her wings to go down after Lloyd, but Kratos and Raine prevented her, Raine keeping both Colette and Genis away from the well.

"Lloyd?" Kratos called, forcing his own voice to remain stoic. "Are you injured?"

"Ugh . . . I think I hit my head . . ." Lloyd's voice sounded pained and distant.

"Will you be able to climb back up if I throw down the rope we found earlier?"

"Huh? Oh . . . Yeah, I think so."

Kratos sighed in barely audible relief. "Good." He threw the rope down, and felt a tug on it moments later when Lloyd grabbed it and began to haul himself back up out of the well.

* * *

**Authors' Note: **"Shell" was inspired by a conversation in Kratos' segment of _Tales of Fandom: Vol. 2_, and the song that Lloyd sings in "Playing house" is very clearly "On a Boat," which I don't own in the slightest.


	5. Drabbles 41 through 50

* * *

One Hundred Missed Moments

* * *

**041. **_**The falling of cherry blossoms**_

"They're really pretty, huh?"

"Mm." Kratos and Lloyd stood alone in a secluded part of Mizuho, amidst the pink and white leaves being dusted through the air by the wind. The entire area was bathed in the scent of the cherry blossoms, and was pretty and peaceful in a way that even someone like Lloyd could appreciate.

"Sorry about before," Lloyd said suddenly, drawing Kratos' attention back to him. "About telling Tiga about . . . everything. But he needed to know."

"It's fine," Kratos answered automatically, extending his hand to catch one of the falling petals. He wondered what Anna would have said, if she was alive to see the falling blossoms.

"Heh. Well, you did get some pretty cool clothes out of it, right?" Lloyd went on, and Kratos glanced down once again at the attire he was wearing - traditional Mizuho garb, clothing styled after a legendary hero's, just like Lloyd's. "That's something, at least."

"Yes . . ." Kratos agreed, smirking faintly. "It is something."

-

**042. **_**Wing**_

"Your wings are . . . impressive."

"Impressive" was the only word Kratos could think to use. Lloyd's wings were a beautiful mix of dark blue, green, and gold, and stretched to impressive lengths. Lloyd looked over at them shimmering in the air, and shrugged.

"I guess. It's weird, though - flying's easier than I thought. There's no strain or anything."

"Your wings are formed from your mana. It isn't as if they're a physical part of you." Kratos' voice was nearly toneless as Lloyd put his wings away, taking away the glow of mana that had sprouted from Lloyd's back. "If they were, I imagine that the size of your wings would weigh you down."

"Hahah. Yeah, guess so." Silence fell between them before Lloyd asked quietly, "Do you think, if I tried hard enough, I could fly to Derris-Kharlan?"

Kratos' answer was immediate, though it was not the answer that he wanted to give.

"No."

"Yeah," Lloyd sighed. "I didn't really think so."

-

**043. **_**Tactician**_

If it were completely up to Lloyd to make battle plans, their battle plans would be more similar to ingredient lists than actual plans.

"Lloyd," Kratos said after one battle - one that Lloyd had planned to be "run in, beat the enemies, run out." "You need to learn about tactics."

"Tactics?"

"Battle tactics."

"I already know them - they're in the training manual!"

Kratos fought the urge to smack the boy upside his stubborn head. "You don't employ them. You give us an idea of what you wish to accomplish, but you form no plans of actually accomplishing it."

"Yeah, well . . ."

"I've set aside extra time after our sword training in order to run through battle tactics with you. Better understanding proper tactics is key to being victorious in battle. While running full-pelt into battle with no plan against monsters may be successful, a battle against a serious opponent is as much a battle of the mind as it is a battle of swordplay and strength."

A month or so later, when Kratos was facing off against Lloyd in the Tower of Salvation and saw his own tactics turned quickly against him, he almost - _almost_ - regretted the decision to teach Lloyd the art of strategizing.

-

**044. **_**Coffee**_

As far as Kratos knew, Lloyd wasn't a coffee drinker.

At least, he hadn't been during the Journey of Regeneration. He had made some, once, when he wanted to confront Colette about his secret, but as far as Kratos was aware, Lloyd hadn't actually drank any himself. He had always been more of the type to go for hot chocolate, preferring the sweetness of the chocolate over the dark and bitter taste of coffee.

So when Lloyd went for the coffee first thing upon waking up one morning after the journey had ended, Kratos couldn't help but furrow his brow slightly in confusion.

"Lloyd."

"Yeah?" Lloyd asked, his voice scratchy with sleep.

"Are you aware of what you have there?"

"Huh?" Lloyd looked down at his mug, confusion written all over his features.

"That's coffee," Kratos pointed out. Lloyd blinked.

"Oh. Yeah. I know." He took a drink, and barely grimaced at the bitter taste, yet still reached for the sugar.

"Why are you drinking coffee? I thought you disliked it."

"I used to. Sort of. But I drink it every morning now. Zelos got me into it." Lloyd took a longer drink of the coffee, closing his eyes as the caffeine was fed into his system. Kratos sighed. _Wilder._ He should have known. Martel only knew what other bad habits Zelos passed onto Lloyd, and Kratos set up a mental list. Each bad habit was going to cost Zelos a little more, and Kratos had a feeling that by the time he was done, Zelos would regret the day he ever ran into Lloyd Irving in Meltokio.

-

**045. **_**Legend**_

"I wish we hadn't had to tell everyone."

Lloyd picked up a blade of grass, tearing it apart slowly with his fingers. "I mean, I knew they were going to realize. Kind of hard not to notice when your world becomes attached to another," he went on, before Kratos could respond, "but I just wish that we didn't have to say that we were the ones that did it. That _I_ was the one that did it."

"Why?" Kratos asked. He knew why he would feel that way, if he were in Lloyd's place - knew all too well the reason why he wouldn't want all of the attention on him. But in the past, Lloyd was a friendly person, who wasn't afraid to talk about himself or meet anyone new. Being reclusive was not a part of Lloyd at all.

"Because . . . that's what happened with Mithos, isn't it?" Lloyd asked, looking over to Kratos. "What he did became known in both worlds. _He_ became known as Mithos the Hero. I'm not saying it's a bad thing to be known like that, but I'm not him. I'm not Mithos. I'm just Lloyd, and I just can't help but wonder . . ." Lloyd looked up to the starry night sky, his expression decidedly troubled. "Someday . . . Will my life be a legend like that? Just a legend? Will people doubt that I even existed, like they did Mithos?"

Kratos wished that he had an answer. He was the one that Lloyd turned to when he had a question, he was the one that was expected to know everything. But as Lloyd looked back down at the grass, decidedly unhappy with the way his life had become iconic instead of merely _his life_, Kratos found that words failed him, and he had nothing to say.

-

**046. **_**Homecoming (Visiting One's Parents)**_

"Hey, Dad.

It's been awhile. Sorry about that. I've just been really busy, y'know? But I guess that's not surprising. You've always said that I can't sit still, and that my enthusiasm for one thing is gone quickly . . . that's just _not_ true, by the way. I can stay enthusiastic for longer periods of time! I just . . . get distracted. Heheheh.

". . . But maybe I should just tell you what I've been up to.

"Let's see . . . For right now, the Exsphere problem isn't so much of a problem anymore. The King of Meltokio - with Zelos' influence - helped a bunch by having the Tethe'allan nobles hand over whatever Exspheres they had, and Regal shut down the Toize Valley Mine so that no one could get through there anymore - and this time, he made sure to take out _all_ of it. Sure, it would have cause major problems for Emil and Marta if it had all been destroyed before, but that was then and this is now, and so now it's gone.

"So, at least in Tethe'alla and Sylvarant, I think I've got most of the Exspheres. I'm still going to adventure though - and I'm still going to keep my eyes peeled. I have my boat and everything - I'm gonna set sail tomorrow! And that's part of the reason I'm here, I guess. To say bye for now. Because I'll be back later. This world - Aselia - it's . . . my home. I won't be away for too long."

Lloyd paused, and then reached out to put a hand against the small World Tree, his eyes looking up to the sky - and much farther beyond it.

"So I guess, for right now . . ." he murmured. "See you later, Dad."

-

**047. **_**Individual Lesson**_

Lloyd had many private lessons throughout his life; tutoring sessions by Raine, blacksmithing lessons with Dirk, sparring sessions with Kratos . . .

But chess had never been one of them.

"It just doesn't make sense," Lloyd insisted. "The knight has a horse. Why can the horse only move in an L shape? Is it poisoned or confused or something?"

Kratos sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "No," he repeated for what felt like the fiftieth time. "The horse is irrelevant, Lloyd. What's important here is the piece and the rules by which it is bound."

"Well, the rules are stupid," Lloyd muttered. "They don't make sense at all. And why can't pawns take out people diagonally?"

"They just can't."

"Why not?"

Kratos felt like smacking his head into the table. It was just like Lloyd was a child again. "The rules prohibit them from doing so."

"Rules, rules, rules. This game is stupid _and_ boring." Lloyd flopped back in his chair, tilting his head back to look at the ceiling. "I'd rather play four square."

Kratos fought the urge to groan. Smacking his head into the table definitely sounded like a better alternative.

-

**048. **_**Ruggedness (Even irregularity is possible.)**_

If jaws could literally hit the floor, then every jaw present in the room would have been glued to the floorboards.

"_Lloyd_?" Genis asked, rubbing at his cobalt eyes. "Is that _you_?!"

"Lloyd," Raine sputtered, lost for words for once. "I . . . You are . . ."

"Wow, Lloyd!" Colette gasped. "You look so . . . so . . ."

"Hot," Kratos heard Sheena mutter beneath her breath, her eyes wide and completely pinned upon the form of Lloyd in the doorway.

"Uh . . ." Lloyd himself rubbed at the back of his head, his cheeks turning the same color as the shirt that he ordinarily wore. "I don't know what's so different, guys. I'm just the same as I've always been." He looked over to Kratos, who felt as though he was staring at a person he'd never seen before, though he couldn't really explain why. "Kratos?"

"Lloyd." The return was automatic, which was a good thing, given the fact that Kratos' mind was temporarily frozen. Lloyd looked like a different person. His brown hair was damp, causing the spikes to fall downward around his face and eyes, and he was missing his shirt, revealing the various scars he'd obtained over the years as well as the light sheen of sweat on his skin from training, and the way he was becoming more fit with each passing day. He was still wearing his pants (which would explain why the girls had retained consciousness), but they were unbuttoned, taunting every female in the nearby vicinity. And at the end of the day . . .

"Yeah?" Lloyd asked, raising an eyebrow over his frown. Kratos sighed, turning back to his sword while Sheena and Colette, at the very least, continued to stare at Lloyd.

"You need to shave."

-

**049. **_**color**_

"Did you ever notice," Sheena said to Lloyd one day, "that you have highlights in your hair?"

Kratos was walking behind the group, so as to keep a lookout from behind, and Lloyd and Sheena were closer to the middle. Lloyd turned to Sheena with a questioning glance.

"Huh?"

"In the sun," Sheena went on. "Your hair looks a little redder in the sun."

"Sheena's right, Lloyd," Colette chimed in. "I've always noticed that. Your hair does look more red in the sun."

"And those are natural highlights," Sheena finished. "That red in your hair, I mean."

"Well, I can't really see my own hair . . ." Lloyd laughed a little, reaching up to run a hand through it regardless. "But that's weird."

"Yeah," Sheena agreed. "It's weird, but . . . pretty." Her cheeks turned red and she looked away. Fortunately, she was saved further embarrassment by Colette piping up again.

"I never noticed it before, but the red in your hair is kind of similar to Kratos', Lloyd."

"Really?" Lloyd turned to look at Kratos, who fought to keep his expression completely neutral. "I don't think my hair's _that_ red."

"No, it's not as red, but it is a little of the shame shade, I think." Colette smiled, clasping her hands behind her back. "It's just another similarity between you two!"

Lloyd made a face about the similarities between them and went on to banter a bit with Colette, but Kratos barely noticed. Instead, he was concentrating more on the way that Lloyd's hair _did_ look a little more red in the sunlight, and how absurdly happy that made him deep, deep down.

-

**050. **_**Candy**_

Kratos knew that letting Lloyd have candy before dinner was a bad idea.

He'd looked away for one second. _One second_ and Lloyd had shoved an entire piece of candy into his mouth and straight down his throat. Without chewing. And now he was choking and Kratos didn't have one lick of experience with a choking child. After all, he hadn't met Mithos until Mithos was thirteen, and by then Mithos knew full well how to chew his food, when he was able to obtain any at all.

Lloyd was choking, very clearly choking, with his face slowly turning purple. Kratos had tried hitting the boy's back, had tried squeezing his stomach, but nothing was working and he was getting desperate. Anna, having gone out to retrieve the ingredients for supper, was nowhere in sight.

There was only one last thing Kratos could think of.

Wrenching Lloyd's mouth open, Kratos stuck his fingers into Lloyd's mouth and down his throat, grabbing the piece of candy (which thankfully wasn't too far down) between his fingers and wrenching it out. As soon as his hand cleared Lloyd's mouth Lloyd threw up, emptying the contents of his stomach onto the floor before beginning to cry hard. Kratos tossed the piece of candy across the room, drawing his son - tears and vomit and all - into his arms, holding the trembling boy tight and ignoring the fact that he was shaking himself.

He never had been a fan of candy, and now he had all the more reason to keep it away from his child.


	6. Drabbles 51 through 60

* * *

One Hundred Missed Moments

* * *

**051. **_**Dirt**_

From what Lloyd knew about Kratos, Kratos was not the type of person to enjoy being dirty. When they were still on the journey to release the seals, Kratos had not gone out of his way to get dirty, and had often seemed to prefer being neat and orderly. Lloyd had never questioned it, because it fit; Kratos was not the type of person to goof off or have fun playing around in dirt. He was responsible and stoic and all around serious.

So when Lloyd ventured out from the camp one night and found Kratos - in his full Cruxis regalia - digging a hole in the middle of a barren plain, he could only stare. He couldn't even think to question if Kratos was after Colette again because the sight was so bizarre. It wasn't until Kratos stopped and looked up to acknowledge Lloyd's presence that Lloyd's brain kicked back into gear, and he walked over with his expression as confused as ever.

"What are you doing?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Kratos asked, his tone just caustic enough to make Lloyd scowl. "I'm digging a hole."

"I can see that," Lloyd snapped. "Why?"

Kratos shrugged, returning to his task. "It was something I wanted to do."

"Oh." The hole was getting rather large, and next to Kratos was another shovel on the ground. "Can I help?"

"Hm?"

"You have another shovel there. So, uh . . . can I help?" After a second's pause, Lloyd asked, "Why do you have the other shovel, anyway?"

"It was there in case this one broke."

"Do you break shovels?"

"Sometimes." Silence, and then, "You can help, Lloyd."

"Oh. Oh! Okay. Thanks." Lloyd didn't know why he was thanking Kratos for allowing him to help, but once he picked up the shovel and began helping Kratos dig the hole, all other thoughts of complications and Cruxis and Cruxis Crystals melted away, leaving nothing but the quiet and strong work before him.

-

**052. **_**Jewel**_

Kratos couldn't stand looking at Lloyd's Exsphere.

On the one hand, he felt ashamed of that fact. That Exsphere was the only remnant of Anna that he had left - and _he_ didn't even really have it, because the Exsphere was Lloyd's. All the same, Anna's life had gone into making that Exsphere, and he felt ashamed of wanting to deny its existence.

But still. He did.

Because that Exsphere had been the cause for Anna's death. It was the catalyst which sent Kvar after them, which turned Anna into a monster once it was removed from her body. The small blue jewel had sent the mana in Anna's body out of control, turning her into a murderer and forcing Kratos to kill the woman he loved more than any other. Looking at the Exsphere made Kratos feel sick inside, and he hated it.

But at the same time, he loved it.

He loved it, because while it was the reason that Anna had died, it was keeping Lloyd alive. Kratos could not count the number of times that the Exsphere had saved Lloyd's life - could not count the number of times that he was grateful for Lloyd having it. The Exsphere had killed Anna, but it was protecting Lloyd, and in a way, it was as if _Anna_ was there, protecting Lloyd every step of the way. And Kratos couldn't really hate something that protected his son.

-

**053. **_**Chocolate starting to melt**_

"You have to like chocolate."

"I don't."

"Everyone does!"

"_I_ don't."

"Kratos, that's crazy."

"Lloyd, leave me alone."

Lloyd stared stubbornly at Kratos, who just as stubbornly ignored him. The chocolate bar was sitting between them on the table, sitting in a pool of sunlight.

"You drink hot chocolate."

"That's different."

"No it's not. It's chocolate."

"Then allow me to rephrase. I don't like chocolate _bars._"

"That's crazy," Lloyd repeated, shaking his head. Sitting down at the table opposite Kratos he unwrapped the candy bar, and then heaved an exaggerated sigh. "Look! It's melting because you won't eat it."

"Why don't _you_ eat it?"

"It's _yours_."

"And?"

"And you're the one that's supposed to eat it."

Kratos looked up to stare long and hard at Lloyd, who stared just as determinedly back. Finally, Kratos took one square of candy and popped it in his mouth, asking after swallowing, "There, happy?"

Lloyd grinned. "For now."

-

**054. **_**Miracle**_

Kratos didn't believe in miracles.

To believe in miracles was to believe in a deity, and Kratos knew full well that Martel was a long-dead half-elf, not a goddess. Still, after he found Lloyd again after all those years, Kratos had to question his own faith - or lack thereof.

Miracles didn't exist, but Lloyd was a toddler when he survived falling down a cliff face.

Miracles didn't exist, but Lloyd survived the attack on Iselia.

Miracles didn't exist, but Lloyd managed to make it in and out of the Tower of Salvation alive more times than Kratos could count.

Miracles didn't exist, but Lloyd reunited the two worlds and managed to resurrect the world tree.

By the end of it all, Kratos had to accept the fact that his son was a walking, talking miracle. Not because of the conditions of which the boy had been birthed, or merely because he was Kratos' son. No, Kratos had to accept that his son was a miracle because of the things Lloyd had done and continued to do, all the while keeping a smile on his face.

-

**055. **_**Pet**_

"You know," Lloyd said one night, sitting down next to Kratos for the night watch. Kratos wasn't sure why Lloyd insisted on helping keep night watch as of late, but he learned that trying to argue with the boy was futile, "I think Noishe likes you practically more than he likes me."

Noishe whined just as Kratos asked, "What makes you say that?"

"You two spend more time together than Noishe spends with me," Lloyd said, throwing a look over in Noishe's direction. "You just seem to understand him more than I do, even though he's my pet. Or, no, wait," Lloyd amended, hearing the affronted whine from Noishe. "My friend. My friend, not my pet."

"You have a distinction?"

"Of course! Noishe's a dog, but he's not like normal dogs, y'know? He's smarter than normal dogs. And he's helped me out through a lot." Noishe got up and padded around to lay down in between Lloyd and Kratos, and Lloyd reached out to put his hand on Noishe's thick collar of fur. "No matter what's wrong, he's always there for me. He's just as much my best friend as Genis is."

"I see." Kratos watched as Noishe reached over to lick the side of Lloyd's face, and he smirked faintly, looking away. "I'd say that he likes you just as much as he likes me."

"You think so?" Lloyd sounded relieved, reaching up to scratch behind Noishe's long ears. Kratos nodded.

"So it would seem."

-

**056. **_**Chain**_

Finding Lloyd at the Martel Temple was really like knocking down a domino. Once the first domino was down, the rest of the chain followed.

Meeting Lloyd caused Kratos to begin to feel again, to _see_ again after he numbed and blinded himself to the rest of the world after Anna's death.

Feeling again made him realize just how much others were hurting - from prisoners in human ranches to the Chosen herself - and made him feel a bit guilty and a little more sympathetic to those affected by the journey.

Feeling more sympathetic to those affected by the journey made him more adamant in stopping the Desians, and made him feel more reluctant to return to the Tower of Salvation and complete his duties. Furthermore, once he got there, he found himself inwardly rebelling against every move that Mithos made.

Rebelling against Mithos on the inside began to slowly show on his outside actions. Kratos began interfering in Cruxis' plans little by little, began deviating from his set path a little more each day.

Deviating from his set path made him consistently run into Lloyd's group. Seeing Lloyd in action, watching as his son - _his son_ - did the impossible made him realize more and more how wrong Cruxis' order truly was.

Once that realization fully hit home, Kratos realized that he could no longer support Mithos' ideals, and - just as Yuan had been deceiving Mithos for years - Kratos fully switched his support to Lloyd's side and began working for a way for Lloyd to wield the Eternal Sword. And by the end of it all, he had done it, and his bond with Origin was broken.

Meeting Lloyd set off a chain reaction that couldn't be stopped no matter how tightly indecision gripped Kratos in the beginning, but at the end of the day, it was a chain reaction that Kratos wouldn't have stopped for either of the two worlds.

-

**057. **_**The Ability to Live**_

_"No one should be born for the sole purpose of dying."_  
_"Everyone has a right to life once they're born."_  
_"What do you gain by dying? Nothing!"_

Words spoken by Lloyd were so familiar to Kratos. Kratos would never forget anything his son said, even if . . . even if what Lloyd said was impossible to follow.

Because there was more to living than existing.

Going to Derris-Kharlan was more than an obligation. It was a choice, a choice made by Kratos because he no longer remembered what it meant to live, truly _live_. He could exist - he could talk and think and breathe and touch and interact, but he no longer remembered what it meant to _live_ - what it meant to be like Lloyd and enjoy life. There were things that could make him happy - Lloyd being safe and happy made Kratos happy - but Kratos no longer remembered how to live life for himself. Anna had taught him the first time, but when she died the will to live left him, and he found that he'd forgotten again. And Lloyd, for all the boy loved life, couldn't teach Kratos the way that Anna had.

Angels lost their humanity, but what Kratos lost couldn't be repaired with a Key Crest. Kratos had lost his ability to live - to _truly live_ - and he could not look at Lloyd in the eye long enough to truly admit that.

-

**058. **_**Sake (As in the alcohol)**_

Let it be known that Kratos did not approve of people getting his son drunk.

"Kratoossssss," Lloyd slurred, stumbling as he reached over to wrap an arm around Kratos' neck. Kratos closed his eyes, fighting off the urge to reach over and smack the boy. "Cap'n Kraaaatossssss, we . . . we need to . . ." Lloyd twirled the hand holding the drink around as he searched for the word, causing some of the drink to splash up, out of the special Mizuhoan sake cup. ". . . talk 'bout stuffs. Hahaha, that word'ssss funny. Stuffs. Stuff, stuffy, stuff, stuff, stuffssssssss. Doe'n't even sound like a word 'nymore."

"I'm not your captain," Kratos replied, reaching up to remove Lloyd's arm from around his neck. "And you are not in any state to have a lucid conversation." Those words spoken, Kratos reached over and took Lloyd's drink from him, dumping the rest out onto the grass.

"Hey!" Lloyd protested, swaying on the spot. Seeing as how he was about to fall over, Kratos reached out and replaced Lloyd's arm around his neck, supporting the teen as he began to lead him back to their temporary abode in Mizuho. "I wasssss _not_ done with _any_ of that stuffs, Cap'n Kratatatatatosssss!" When Kratos didn't respond except to emit a tense sigh, Lloyd went on. "I jus' need to talk t'youuuu. Talk 'bout stufffsss. Talk to you 'cause you . . . 'cause you . . . 'cause you're my _dad_ and stuffs."

Kratos stopped walking abruptly, and it was only because of his hold that Lloyd didn't fall from the sudden stop. It was the first time since the revelation that Lloyd had called Kratos his father, and that alone was able to stop Kratos for a few seconds.

"Yeah . . ." Lloyd went on, completely in a daze. "So . . . So we can talk an' . . . and . . ." Lloyd's next words were cut off by him vomiting all onto the grass, missing Kratos' shoes by a few precious centimeters. "Ugh . . ."

"We can talk after you sleep," Kratos remarked tersely, all previous warm feelings gone as he continued to lead his son toward their hut.

-

**059. **_**Old money**_

When Kratos left for Derris-Kharlan, he left Lloyd with a bag. "This is to help finance your Exsphere search," he'd said. "Use it wisely." Lloyd had considered insisting that Kratos take it, but given the fact that there wouldn't be anything on Derris-Kharlan that Kratos would need money for, Lloyd had merely accepted the gift.

But as he poured it onto his bedroom floor, he found that only half of it was useful.

The other half was so old he was positive that no store in the new world would take it. He didn't even recognize the majority of the notes and coins, and they were covered in ancient writing that was impossible for him to decipher. Lloyd was positive that Raine would go crazy over it, wanting to study every inch of it and figure out what era it was from, but the more he thought about it, the more Lloyd thought that it was best as his little secret.

The ancient money was impossible for him to use, but it was still precious, because it was a part of his father's history, and one of the few remaining things of the man that he had left.

-

**060. **_**A silence**_

Lloyd often tried to stay up during the night-watch, but just because he stayed up didn't mean that he talked.

Lloyd always had an opinion on any subject, but contrary to popular belief, he _could_ be quiet. And on most nights, when the rest of the camp was asleep and the stars were spread across the sky in a brilliant array, Lloyd would stay quiet as he stayed up with Kratos. Sometimes he'd lay down, his head against Noishe, but even so he'd enjoy the silence with Kratos, merely basking in the serenity that fell over their camp as the time ticked by. The silences were comfortable and comforting, and during such a dangerous journey, they were often necessary.


	7. Drabbles 61 through 70

* * *

One Hundred Missed Moments

* * *

**061. **_**Shyness**_

If there was one thing that Kratos had learned about his son, it was that the boy wasn't shy.

But even so, it seemed that Lloyd was reluctant to approach anything concerning their true relationship. After the night in Flanoir, whenever the situation would come up, Lloyd would quickly change it. Kratos supposed it was fine - he could see how it would be awkward - but at the same time, he wished he knew _why_ it made Lloyd so skittish.

It wasn't until they were alone one night that Lloyd finally brushed the topic.

"Hey, uh . . . Kratos." Kratos looked over to acknowledge Lloyd, who seemed as hesitant as ever. "Uh . . . I don't know how to ask this, but . . . What . . . What was Mom like?"

He wasn't looking at Kratos at all as he asked the question, and as Kratos thought about how best to describe Anna, he couldn't help but think, _Just as shy as you in situations such as these._

-

**062. **_**Time limit**_

Not for the first time, Kratos wondered about the sanity of those who were on the Journey of Regeneration. He'd thought that Raine Sage was one of the most collected people he'd ever met, but as she set the human ranch to self-destruct and set the timer for an extremely small amount of time, Kratos had serious doubts about her sanity.

It was an all-out race to get out of the ranch as fast as possible. Even Kratos, who rarely rushed himself because he didn't see a need, took to running through the corridors. It wasn't a panicked sprint, but it _was_ quick, for it wasn't as if he was going to let himself be caught in the blast. Too much was riding on his life.

But as he neared the exit, he began to notice something - something that had seemed odd to him but hadn't fully registered as he made his own way out. Genis was being pulled by Raine due to his stumbling nature, his hand clasped tightly in hers, and the Chosen was using her wings to try and prevent herself from tripping. But while Lloyd would ordinarily be right by the Chosen's side, perhaps even holding her hand to prevent her from stumbling and falling, he was nowhere in sight. Kratos stopped, looking around him.

_Lloyd was nowhere in sight._

"Kratos?" Kratos looked back to see that Raine had stopped. "What are you doing?"

"Lloyd's not here."

"What? Oh no! He must still be inside!" The Chosen One turned to go back, but Kratos held out one arm.

"No. The Journey of Regeneration depends on your life. Get out of the ranch; I will find Lloyd."

"But - "

"_Go._" For all that was riding on his life, there was even more riding on the Chosen's. Turning, Kratos ran back into the ranch.

He found Lloyd halfway through, having fallen victim to a trap, his leg caught beneath a door, electrical pulses sparking through his body. Lloyd, being unconscious, didn't notice as Kratos used his angelic strength to free his son, picking the boy up and running back out of the ranch. This time, he didn't care if he looked dignified or not; not so long as he got Lloyd to safety, which he did with only seconds to spare.

-

**063. **_**Fortune-telling**_

"Right now I'm telling free friendship fortunes!" Lloyd supposed the fortune teller was trying to use a mystical voice, but she only came off as sounding excited. "So, tell me: what is the name of the one which you wish to know about?"

"Uh . . ." Lloyd glanced over his shoulder, despite the fact that the rest of his traveling companions were in Triet, enjoying the sun or the oasis. "I . . . don't really know."

"I see . . ." Lloyd looked back to see the fortune teller hunched over her crystal ball, her hands moving lightly over the surface of the orb. "I see . . ."

"What do you see?" Lloyd leaned closer, peering at the orb, though all he could see was swirling smoke within the foggy glass.

"I see . . . Someone already likes you." Lloyd's eyes widened, and the fortune teller continued. "Although seemingly stolid, he is trying to guide you and show you the way. You two are like father and son. He loves you like a father. You should answer his trust."

Lloyd closed his eyes briefly. Even though the fortune teller hadn't named names, he could already imagine the one she was talking about; tall with broad shoulders, reddish-brown hair, one hand perpetually near the hilt of his sword . . .

"Answer his trust?" Lloyd asked, turning away from the fortune teller. "Yeah . . . I think I will."

-

**064. **_**Rejection**_

Kratos didn't care about what other people thought about him.

"No! That can't be true!"

He didn't.

"Kratos can't be my dad."

He _didn't._

"How does it feel to have your own son reject you like that?"

It didn't feel like anything. It didn't have one single effect on him.

"The man who betrayed us, who made you suffer! He can't possibly be . . . my dad."

It _didn't_. The only pain he felt was from Yuan's attack. That was it. That was all.

"I'm sorry. But I can't call you Dad right now."

That was the only pain he felt.

-

**065. **_**Calendar**_

Lloyd wasn't one to keep a travel log or a journal. Such things felt too much like homework, and he already had enough work with the monster book that Raine had assigned him, anyway. But he did keep a little pocket calendar, marking off each day that he'd been on his journey, and marking in days that important things happened, too.

_Met up with Colette._  
_Released the Seal of Water._  
_Sheena joined us._  
_Saw the unicorn._  
_Went to the Tower of Salvation. Worst day of my life so far._

Each day there was another cross-off, another note. By the end of everything - by the time the new tree had sprouted - he had over a year filled into his book, each page completely filled. This was what Kratos found when he was on Derris-Kharlan, Lloyd having dropped it into Kratos' bag, either by mistake or on purpose. Kratos skipped over most of the days, but there was one that his eyes kept going back to.

_Found out that Kratos is my father. Looking back, it's one of the best days of my life so far._

-

**066. **_**Shoulder learning by experience**_

"Lloyd, put your swords away."

"Huh?"

Lloyd looked up at Kratos, who stared solidly back.

"Your shoulders are tense and there are knots in your back. If we train now, there is a good chance you'll strain something."

Lloyd couldn't argue with Kratos' description of the muscles in his back. His shoulders felt stiff and tight and his back was hurting. With a sigh, he put his swords away, looking at Kratos skeptically.

"What? Are you going to give me a massage or something?"

Kratos' answer was as caustic as his expression. "No. I'm going to teach you how to properly stretch since it appears you haven't been stretching before your morning exercises."

The addition of extra work to his morning regime made Lloyd inwardly groan, but he showed no outward displeasure as Kratos began to walk him through various stretches. Sure enough, the muscles in his neck and shoulders began to relax, and by the end of it, he felt perfectly fine.

"Wow . . . That actually helped. Thanks, Kratos." Lloyd grinned over at Kratos, who merely grunted, and unsheathed his sword.

"No thanks are necessary. Draw your swords. Our spar will begin immediately."

-

**067. **_**Childhood friend**_

Lloyd made Kratos think of the past more than simply because Lloyd was Kratos' son.

"Come on, come get it!"  
"Stupid Lloyd, quit holding it up so high!"  
"Why? Are you too _short_ to get it!"  
"I might be short, but I can scorch you if I need to!"

But that was because of his relationship with Genis.

"Hahaha, stupid Lloyd! You seriously thought that was true?"  
"Sh - Shut up, Genis! You're just as gullible as I am!"  
"Yeah, right. Even _I_ knew that was just a story!"

It was funny, because so much time had passed that Kratos blocked out most of his childhood - blocked out memories of dusty streets in a long-lost city of Valhalla and an adoptive half-elven family. Blocked out a time when his relationship with Yuan was less antagonistic and more like that of a . . .

"Hey, Genis, what's wrong?"  
"N - Nothing."  
"Don't lie. I can tell something's bothering you."  
"It's just . . . What if we aren't successful? There's been so much danger already. What if something really bad happens to Colette, or Raine, or . . . or you?"  
"Or me?"  
"Yeah. The Desians are still after you."  
"Hey, no worries! I'll be fine, and I'll protect Colette and the Professor and you, too."  
"Really?"  
"Of course!"  
"Heheh. Thanks, Lloyd."  
"Any time, Genis."

. . . _brother._

_"If you really want your wallet, then come get it!"_  
_"You really don't want to try this game again, do you, Yuan?"_  
_"Why shouldn't I? You always lose, Kratos."_  
_"If saying that makes you believe it . . ."_  
_"Oh, it does. I never lie. You ought to know that by now."_  
_"I . . ."_  
_"You . . . what?"_  
_"No, it's nothing."_  
_"Come now, you can't expect me to believe that."_  
_"I merely thought I saw the bird again. There, is that what you wanted to hear?"_  
_"Oh, that crazy story? Please, Kratos. Take your wild tales of phantom birds elsewhere."_  
_"Phantom birds . . ."_  
_"Yes, phantom birds."_  
_"It isn't a mere phantom, and someday, you will see that."_  
_"When that time comes, I shall admit my mistake. But until then, why don't you worry about getting your wallet back?"_  
_"I have no need to worry."_  
_"Really?"_  
_"Really. Defeating you will be no problem at all."_

-

**068. **_**smile**_

Lloyd smiled a lot.

It was one thing that Kratos noticed about his son after reuniting with him after fifteen years. The Chosen One smiled a lot as well, but her smiles were often to hide her pain, whereas Lloyd's were honest and true. It didn't matter how small the amusement was; Lloyd's lips would still quirk upward and a laugh would often leave them. His smile was familiar, as well, though Kratos couldn't place how it was familiar. A part of him wanted to say that it was exactly like Anna's, though he couldn't say that with complete honesty.

"You guys don't really think this place is haunted, do you?" Genis Sage's voice broke Kratos out of his reverie, and he looked over to the half-elf, who was walking with ramrod straight posture through the Balacruf Mausoleum. Once again, Kratos saw that familiar smile quirk on Lloyd's lips.

"I don't . . . Hey, what's that?"

"What's what?" Genis' voice sounded as if he was trying - and failing - to keep the fear out of it.

"That!" Lloyd pointed into an empty corner, eyes wide. Genis whirled around to face it, yet then rolled his eyes.

"Stupid Lloyd, there's nothing theAAH!" Genis' voice shot up three octaves as Lloyd slipped his fingers along Genis' neck, causing the half-elven boy to turn and bolt down a side corridor, shouting for his sister. Lloyd burst into laughter, and even Kratos couldn't keep his own lips from quirking upward in a crooked fashion. It wasn't until Lloyd's laughter subsided and he looked over at Kratos that Kratos realized how crooked Lloyd's smile was, how off-kilter and yet good-humored it was.

Kratos didn't smile very much anymore, so it was no surprise that he hadn't noticed it, but Lloyd had definitely inherited his father's smile.

-

**069. **_**Aspect combination umbrella**_

Kratos supposed it shouldn't have surprised him, but he found himself somewhat displeased nonetheless.

Lloyd had given his coat to the Chosen One and Genis, while Raine was using her own for cover. This led Lloyd with no cover from the rain except for his schoolbook, something that displeased Kratos more than he wanted to admit.

It was for this reason that he left the group temporarily, darting to a nearby caravan to barter for a spare umbrella. He received a dark look from Raine when he returned - for no doubt she'd realized that he'd left them - but ignored it as he walked over to Lloyd, opening the umbrella over his son's head.

"Huh?"

"Books are not cover for rain," Kratos stated flatly. "Not only will that ruin them, but they don't truly keep you dry. If you got sick, who would protect the Chosen?"

"I've never been sick," Lloyd said, but nonetheless stood up, taking the umbrella from Kratos' hands. Instead of taking it for himself, he continued to hold it over both of them, adding, "But thanks. You should stay under it, too, so you don't get sick, either."

"Hmm." Kratos didn't bother pointing out that it was impossible for him to get sick, and instead accepted the cover, waiting out the rain with his son.

-

**070. **_**Ice**_

"You come out here a lot."

Kratos turned, surprised to see Lloyd walking toward him through the snow. The rest of Lloyd's group was nowhere in sight, though Kratos remained on his guard, just in case.

"I suppose I do. What are you doing here?"

"Presea's sick, so we brought her to the doctor." Lloyd looked up at the stars through the swirling snow, yet then looked over to his left. "Hey, Kratos . . ."

"Hm?"

". . . Have you ever been ice sliding?"

". . . Ice sliding?" The question seemed random, and Lloyd nodded.

"Yeah. You know, where you slide on the ice and try not to fall. The Temple of Ice isn't too far from here, and originally that's what I was going to go do, so . . ."

"I'm surprised you haven't taken one of your other companions."

"Well, Sheena and Colette are making charms for Presea, Zelos hates the cold, and Genis wants to stay by Presea's side . . ." Lloyd shrugged. "So they didn't want to come." He paused, and then his eyes narrowed. "But if you're too busy doing work for Yggdrasill, then I guess you don't have to come, either - "

"Yes," Kratos interrupted sarcastically, "because Lord Yggdrasill has business that needs to be carried out in the middle of the Flanoir continent."

"Then come ice sliding with me," Lloyd challenged, taking a few steps toward the Temple of Ice. "If you're not busy, then come ice sliding."

Kratos stared at his son, who stared just as solidly back. There was really no point to such a foolish game - no reason why he should comply. And yet . . .

"Fine," he agreed, folding his arms as Lloyd's face lit up. "But only for a little while."

"All right!" Lloyd turned, and began running toward the Temple of Ice, calling over his shoulder, "Last one there has to slide without a coat!"

* * *

**Authors' Note: **The fortune teller's fortune in "Fortune-telling" is word-for-word from the game if you have Kratos as your highest affection character, select "I don't know," and have already found out on the game disc that Kratos is Lloyd's father. Also, the dialogue from "Rejection" is -- from my memory -- straight from the SUPER SPECIAL AWESOME TWIST SCENE AT ALTESSA'S. The only line I'm not sure about is "I can't call you Dad right now," because that might be worded slightly differently. The others, though, I think are straight from the game.


	8. Drabbles 71 through 80

* * *

One Hundred Missed Moments

* * *

**071. **_**Mark**_

_"Argh! I can't even leave a mark on you!"_

Lloyd had once screamed those words in a fit of childish temper during one of their sparring sessions, and had muttered something along those lines after their reunion atop the Fooji Mountains. It was funny, because Lloyd had been so enraged about it at the time, and the words were no longer true.

Not that Lloyd would know that.

Up on Derris-Kharlan, Kratos examined the diagonal scar that had been left across his torso with a faint smile. He had many scars, but the mark that had been left there by his son was the only one that he would wear with pride.

-

**072. **_**Women's bathing suit**_

"There has to be _something_ here that you can use."

"I already told you that I do not require a bathing suit. Just go enjoy yourself at the beach, Lloyd."

Lloyd frowned, turning back to examine the rest of the bathing suits for sale in the Altamira store. They were all well out of his price range, his own bathing suit having been donated to him by a wealthy noble mother, but even so, he was insistent on finding one for Kratos.

"There has to be something . . . Hey, excuse me." The saleslady turned to face him with a plastic smile, and he asked, "Where are your adult bathing suits?"

"Oh, we've just about run out of them. Bathing suit season always takes off like a shot. But if you'll follow me, we may have something over here." She turned and began to walk off and Lloyd followed, Kratos trailing after against his will.

"Here we are!" The saleslady announced, gesturing to a rack of colorful bathing suits. "Oh . . . But it looks like all we have left are lady's bathing suits."

"O - Oh." Lloyd looked over to Kratos, and instantly regretted it; the mental image of Kratos in a frilly pink bathing suit was the absolute _last_ thing he needed. "Uh, thanks anyway."

"You're welcome." The saleslady walked off, heading over to another part of the store, and Kratos gave Lloyd a flat look.

"There. Do you see that it's pointless now?"

"Yeah," Lloyd admitted, turning from the rack with a dejected sigh. "Oh well. At least we tried . . ."

-

**073. **_**Flower language**_

"This is so confusing," Lloyd groaned, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked at the different flowers gathered in the shop. From carnations to lilies to morning glories, the small flower shop in Hima had everything - surprising, given Hima's rocky terrain. Kratos stood behind Lloyd, watching as the red-clad swordsman went from bouquet to bouquet, scowling at each brightly colored blossom. "How am I supposed to know what kind of flowers to get? I mean, I know Colette loves flowers, but I don't know which kind, and it's not like I can ask, 'cause then she'll know . . ."

Kratos walked forward, standing beside Lloyd as he looked at a bouquet of sunflowers sitting in a vase. ". . . My wife used to tell me that each different flower had a meaning."

". . . She did?" Lloyd looked up, but Kratos looked away from him, looking over to a grouping of various colored roses.

"Yes. She called it the language of the flowers. According to her, the meanings behind flowers were even more important than the look of the flowers themselves - that the flowers themselves could convey messages and feelings even if the receiver didn't know what the flowers meant." Kratos walked over to the roses, reaching out gently to touch them. "Red roses symbolize romantic love. Yellow roses symbolize friendship. Black roses symbolize death."

"Wow. I never knew any of that." Lloyd walked over to where Kratos stood, pausing before looking over at him. "Hey, you think you could help me pick out some flowers for Colette? Y'know, to . . . to cheer her up a little before tomorrow, and to wish her well."

Kratos knew full well that no matter what flowers Colette received, nothing would save her from her fate at the Tower of Salvation the following morning. Nonetheless, he nodded, and reached for a few of the blue roses. "You'll want to start with blue roses, for . . ."

-

**074. **_**Afro**_

It was completely sudden and surprising when - in the middle of their journey - Lloyd burst out laughing. After a few moments of surprised staring, Genis broke the rest of the group's silence with, "Uh-oh, guys. I think he's cracked."

"Lloyd," Colette tried, despite Genis' words, "what's so funny?" Raine, Sheena, and Kratos looked just as perplexed as Colette and Genis, but it looked as if Lloyd was going to finally satisfy their curiosity when his laughter started to subside. But one look at Kratos made him start laughing again, so hard that he doubled over with one arm wrapped around his stomach.

"Oh . . . Martel . . . it . . . hurts . . . !" Lloyd gasped in between laughs, falling to his knees in the grass. Despite not knowing what was going on, Colette started to giggle a little herself at Lloyd's laughter, and Sheena and Genis couldn't keep small smiles from spreading across their cheeks.

"Lloyd," Kratos said, his tone flat and holding no humor whatsoever, "what are you laughing at?"

"You," Lloyd choked out, and at this point Genis burst out laughing as well, already anticipating what was going to befall his best friend. "I . . . started to think . . . remember that guy we saw . . . back in Palmacosta? The one with . . . with the afro? I thought about . . . what if . . . what if you had one?" The mental image sent Lloyd roaring with laughter again, unable to continue speaking, and Colette, Genis, and Sheena were sent into hysterics. Even Raine hid laughter behind a clenched fist, looking over at an unimpressed Kratos with a glint in her eye.

"Well," Kratos grunted, turning away and continuing to walk across the Sylvarant plain, "that's nothing you have to worry about."

-

**075. **_**Oath**_

One day, seeming out of the blue to most who knew him, Lloyd began introducing himself as Lloyd Aurion.

It was years after the two worlds had merged into one - three years after, as a matter of fact, and Lloyd had made no mention of ever changing his last name before that. When questioned, Lloyd merely said that he had his reasons, and he requested that no one ever tell Dirk. "I don't want to hurt him," Lloyd said, looking away. "I think he'd understand if I told him why, but I still think it'd hurt."

Truth was, Lloyd wasn't sure if Dirk really would understand - if anyone would. But the truth was, Lloyd had sworn an oath to protect the newly united world and the new mana tree. After three years - after collecting Centurions cores, after being accused of slaughtering people and destroying villages, after traveling to Niflheim and back - Lloyd was feeling the weight of that oath upon his shoulders. He'd finally realized just what his promise had meant.

But Lloyd wouldn't give up. He wouldn't forsake his oath. Instead, he was carrying it with a new thought in mind:

Kratos had borne the weight of a sacred oath upon his shoulders for four thousand years. And if he could do it, then Lloyd - his _son_ - certainly could as well.

-

**076. **_**Magic**_

The last night before Kratos was set to go to Derris-Kharlan, he found Lloyd sitting by Noishe outside, staring up at the night sky.

"Lloyd." Kratos' voice was soft, yet Lloyd still jumped a little, turning his head to look at Kratos approach. "What are you doing still awake?"

"Couldn't sleep," Lloyd answered, and Kratos made sure that his face was expressionless, unsure if Lloyd was having ordinary insomnia, or if the emergence of his great wings had something to do with his restlessness. "And actually, I was thinking."

". . . About?"

"Well, I have wings now. And I noticed this morning that my eyesight is a lot better." Lloyd turned his gaze to the night sky, smiling a bit ruefully. "The stars almost hurt to look at now."

". . . I see."

"And if I'm having these effects of the angel transformation . . . then I should be able to use angel magic too, right?" Lloyd looked back over to Kratos, who met his gaze steadily. "You, Colette, Zelos, and Yuan can all use Judgment, at the very least. So I should be able to use that too, right?"

". . . Theoretically speaking."

"Then . . . could you teach me?" Lloyd stood up, looking down at Kratos with a serious expression Kratos had almost hoped to never see him wear. "My last lesson before you go to Derris-Kharlan."

Kratos hesitated for a very long moment. Angel transformation was one thing he hadn't wanted Lloyd to face, despite knowing that Lloyd was more than prepared for such a thing. Finally, he stood, nodding once.

"If that is what you want."

After all, if Lloyd was going to be thrust into the realities of being an angel, preparation was not a thing Kratos could deny him.

-

**077. **_**trick**_

"So, it was one big trick, huh?"

Kratos refused to look at Lloyd, even as the boy addressed him. It was late and the rest of the group was sleeping inside of the Meltokio Inn, but Lloyd was still awake, and had confronted Kratos in the Meltokio streets. To Kratos' surprise, Lloyd didn't attack him - didn't even seem to be armed.

"Every time that you acted like you cared about us . . . that you acted like you cared about _me_ . . . that was just a trick. Just a lie."

_No,_ Kratos thought, but didn't say. _My care for you wasn't a lie._

"I knew it." Lloyd took Kratos' silence as an affirmation, but Kratos made no move to correct him. "What are you even doing here, anyway? If you're here to take Colette, forget it. I won't let you past the inn's door."

"You're unarmed," Kratos said at last. "How could you think to stop me?"

"I just would," Lloyd shot back, voice rough. "After all, I see you for what you really are now. Don't think any of your tricks will work on me again. I know better now. I know better than to trust you."

Lloyd's words were harsh, and hit Kratos like a sword through his gut. But still, he made no move to deny what Lloyd said and instead walked away, ignoring Lloyd's words of protest and heading into Meltokio's night.

-

**078. **_**Mercy, Earthquake**_

The Fooji Mountains were unstable and were known to be prone to earthquakes. Despite this - or perhaps in spite of it - Lloyd wandered too close to the edge.

Kratos wasn't _spying_ - or, at least, that was what he told himself as he watched Lloyd's group traipse through the mountains like a group of carefree teenagers on a nature hike. But he was there when Lloyd carelessly strayed toward the edge, when the ground started to shudder beneath them all, and when Lloyd - amidst falling rubble - tumbled toward the bottom. Kratos didn't see Zelos and Genis lunge to grab Lloyd's arm, didn't see Sheena attempt to use her ninja speed and balance to grab Lloyd, didn't see Raine and Presea have to physically hold Colette back to prevent her from jumping after Lloyd, wings drawn. He didn't see any of that because he'd already moved himself, drawing his wings and jumping down to grab Lloyd, slowing their descent with his wings so that they could reach the bottom safely. Lloyd was unconscious by the time they reached the bottom, but that hardly mattered to Kratos, who was more thankful that the boy wasn't _dead_.

_Fate, thank you for having mercy just this once,_ Kratos thought, thereafter beginning to check the boy for injuries caused by falling rocks.

-

**079. **_**China dress**_

"Daddy?"  
"Yes, Lloyd?"  
"Where we?"  
". . . We're in Tethe'alla."  
"The moon?"  
". . . Something like that."  
"Why?"  
"Why what?"  
"Why we on the moon?"  
"We're looking for a new dress for Mommy."  
"Oh. Why on the moon, Daddy?"  
"Because this is a special dress that can only be bought . . . on the moon."  
"Why's special?"  
"It's a Mizuhoan dress, Lloyd."  
"Meezowin?"  
". . . That is close enough, I suppose."  
"Ooh, ooh, Daddy! That dress's p'ty!"  
"'Pretty,' Lloyd."  
"Yeah, yeah! That! Is that a Meezowin dress?"  
"Yes. Do you like that one?"  
"Yeah! Le's get it for Mommy! Le's get Mommy that Meezowin dress!"  
"All right. I believe that's acceptable."  
"Yay! . . . Daddy?"  
"Yes, Lloyd?"  
"After this, can I get a boat on the moon?"  
". . . Maybe later."  
"Aww . . ."

-

**080. **_**Nut**_

When Kratos arrived on Derris-Kharlan, he found that he kept hearing a ringing noise coming from somewhere on his person. Whenever he walked, he found that the ringing noise followed him, constantly jingling. And, after a quick check of his pockets, he found that the source of the jingling was a Linkite Nut with a little note attached:

_Dad,  
I thought you might want something to cheer you up while you're on Derris-Kharlan. And what better than a Linkite Nut?_

_Love,  
Lloyd_

Kratos stared at the note for a few moments before shaking the Linkite Nut near his ear, the melodic sound ringing in his ear. He smiled a little, though it was more because of the note in his hand than the Nut ringing constantly in his ear.


	9. Drabbles 81 through 90

* * *

One Hundred Missed Moments

* * *

**081. **_**Contact lens**_

While Lloyd was never an advocate for studying, whenever he went into battle, he usually pulled out a Magic Lens to check up on the status of his enemies. While it wouldn't give him all of the vital information he needed, the lens usually let him pinpoint the enemy's weakspot, giving him an advantage.

But although he pulled out one to use on Kratos when Kratos betrayed them in the Tower of Salvation, Lloyd found that he couldn't bring himself to look through it. As furious as he was, he didn't want an unfair advantage over Kratos. And so, with an angry growl in the back of his throat, Lloyd pulled back his arm, and threw the Magic Lens, striking Kratos square in the face.

"Fine, you wanna fight?!" Lloyd roared, too angry to even feel humor at Kratos' blatantly shocked expression. "Then let's fight, you bastard!"

-

**082. **_**Why**_

"Why?"

It was a question that Lloyd had asked many times in his childhood - more times than Kratos could possibly count. Lloyd had been an eternally curious child, a trait that he'd carried with him into adolescence apparently. Kratos couldn't begin to count the number of times Lloyd had wandered off during the first leg of his journey alone.

"Why . . ."

But he wasn't the one asking the question now.

"Heh . . ." Lloyd looked up with a slight grin, and never before had Kratos wanted to smack a grin off Lloyd's foolish face so badly. "Why . . . What?"

"Why didn't you block?" Kratos' voice was calm, calmer than even he expected it to be, but he felt as if his entire body had turned to stone at that moment. He couldn't move. Not as Lloyd fell back against Origin's Seal. Not as everyone behind him began screaming all at once and Raine ran forward with her staff out. Not as the wound in Lloyd's chest began to pour blood over the sacred grass and Lloyd's Anna-brown eyes fluttered shut.

_Why did you make me kill the only other person who mattered to me?_

-

**083. **_**Black tea**_

"How can you stand to drink that stuff?"

Lloyd made a face at Kratos' morning beverage of choice, but Kratos ignored him, instead taking a sip of the strong beverage. It was not something he was fond of, truth be told. In fact, Kratos hated it, tolerating it only a little more than he was able to tolerate coffee. At Lloyd's continued expression of repulsion, however, Kratos sighed minutely, and set his cup back down upon its saucer.

"Only something so foul could wake me so thoroughly in the morning," he lied, though once upon a time four thousand years ago, such a fact had been true. "Perhaps you should try it some time. If you did, you may not be so intolerable in the mornings."

"The only thing intolerable," Lloyd said, reaching for the pitcher of orange juice upon the table, "is what you have in that cup."

-

**084. **_**World of Dreams**_

Lloyd would never tell anyone else, but sometimes, he had dreams about Kratos.

They weren't embarrassing dreams by any means, but for the life of him, Lloyd couldn't understand them. They weren't ordinary dreams, where Kratos was simply a part of whatever shenanigans happened to be happening in the imaginary world, but were instead dreams that Lloyd thought he was _supposed_ to understand, because they held some sort of deeper meaning, but _couldn't_. The dreams were always different, but each and every time, the Kratos of his dreams seemed to be beckoning him to understand something far beyond him.

That night, Lloyd had another Kratos-dream. Just like always, Kratos led Lloyd through a shadowy corridor, passing a multitude of steel doors - some of which Lloyd had gone through before, and others which he wondered about, but could never bring himself to ask. But that night they passed each and every door, walking through the shadows, Kratos' broad back being the only thing that Lloyd felt as though he could count on in the unfamiliar territory.

"Where are we going?" Lloyd asked at last. Without looking over his shoulder, Kratos replied, "Look."

The shadow in front of Kratos melted away, turning into yet another door, which Kratos reached out to and pushed open. The room inside seemed mostly barren to Lloyd, yet as he and Kratos walked in, Lloyd realized that it wasn't a room at all - it was a meadow, and towering over them was the largest tree that Lloyd had ever seen.

"What the . . ."

"This was the Mana Tree," Kratos told him, and Lloyd looked over at Kratos, listening hard. "This was the Giant Kharlan Tree as it was four thousand years ago."

"It existed?" Lloyd asked, and Kratos nodded. "Then . . . what happened to it?"

"It was destroyed during the Ancient War." Suddenly, the tree over them began to crumble, each piece of it falling toward the earth yet turning to dust before it hit. Lloyd noticed a speck of light at the base of the decaying trunk seconds before it ignited, sending a bright white spire up on its place. _The Tower of Salvation,_ Lloyd realized, staring with wide eyes. _Did the Tower of Salvation take the place of the Giant Kharlan Tree?_

"What does this mean?" Lloyd asked, ripping his gaze away from the Tower of Salvation to look at Kratos. "And how do you know all of this? How do you know that the Giant Kharlan Tree existed four thousand years ago, and how - hey!" Shadows began to creep in at the edges of the dream just as they always did, obscuring Kratos and the Tower of Salvation once more. Kratos seemed not to hear Lloyd, for he turned back, gazing up at the tower with an inscrutable gaze. "Kratos! Wait!"

When Lloyd awoke, Genis was standing over his bed, complaining about how Lloyd was always the last one up, and all he could think about after they were all on the road again was a giant tree being replaced by a giant tower, and a mysterious auburn-haired angel who seemed to know everything, yet would tell him nothing at all.

-

**085. **_**Study orchis**_

Kratos knew that Lloyd wasn't a very picky eater, and would eat almost anything save tomatoes (for good reason - the boy showed good sense when he showed his aversion to tomatoes). For this reason, it was always a little surprising when he discovered something the boy didn't like, and even more surprising when he happened upon the boy forcing it down.

"Lloyd, what are you drinking?"

Lloyd took another swallow of the liquid in his cup, grimacing and gagging as he did so. When he managed to swallow he answered, "Orchis tea."

"Orchis tea?" Kratos raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Genis said orchis tea has something in it that helps you learn faster. I figure if I drink enough of this, I'll just know all the answers to my homework and won't have to study." Lloyd took another large gulp of the tea, and had to hit his fist repeatedly upon the table to force himself to swallow it down. "Urgh. It's so nasty, though."

"And you're gullible," Kratos sighed. Lloyd looked up with question in his eyes, yet at Kratos' almost pitying expression, Lloyd's confusion turned to anger.

"Argh, I'm gonna _kill_ Genis! I can't believe he lied to make me drink this stuff! Dammit, Genis!" Slamming his cup back down on the table, Lloyd bolted up from his chair and ran out of the room, leaving Kratos behind to sigh in slight exasperation.

-

**086. **_**Holiday**_

"Hey, thanks for coming."

"It is not a problem." Kratos walked forward to meet Lloyd by the world tree, glancing once over his son's shoulder to look at the little sprout. "What did you need to see me for?"

"Well . . . It's actually kinda embarrassing." Lloyd smiled sheepishly, looking away to stare up at the sky. "I . . . wanted to celebrate a holiday."

"A holiday?" Kratos quickly searched his memories, though came up blank, unable to remember a single holiday that could fall upon the current date. Lloyd nodded.

"Yeah. I know it's not actually for a couple weeks off, but I wanted to celebrate it now since you'll be on Derris-Kharlan three days from now." It was then that Kratos noticed that Lloyd was holding a wrapped package in his hands, fumbling with it as he spoke. Quickly, almost too quickly for Kratos to react, Lloyd threw it over. "So, uh . . . H - Happy Father's Day."

-

**087. **_**Virtual image**_

When they went to retrieve the mana fragment in Welgaia, a hologram of Kratos appeared on one of the projectors in the room. Lloyd was standing too far away from the hologram to react, and though he knew that it might be unwise - who knew if Kratos could really see them or not? - he couldn't tear his eyes away from the image of the auburn-haired Seraphim standing there, relaying the message that he'd sent some other messengers down to retrieve a mana fragment. It worked out beautifully for them, of course; they were able to pretend that _they_ were the messengers that Kratos had sent, and thus were able to obtain the mana fragment without too much of a hassle.

Still, the entire time the hologram was there, Lloyd had a hard time standing still. It was hard to stand there and remain cool and collected, after all, when he was faced with the overwhelming urge to run forward and sock Kratos in the face, hologram or not.

-

**088. **_**Clock**_

While Welgaia had all of the latest advancements in magitechnology, Kratos had an ordinary clock in his private quarters.

Much as he saw the use in magitechnology, Kratos preferred to keep things simpler. Unlike Yuan, who was forever fascinated with his many gadgets, Kratos preferred the older items to the newer. There were newer clocks that were able to sense the mana in the air and provide an accurate readout from that, but Kratos preferred the type of clock that had to be set precisely at dawn to be able to be accurate, the type of clock that was constantly ticking like a metronome, counting down every hour.

At least, he used to. Now each tick seemed to torment him.

_Tick. Tick. Tick._ The sound was rhythmic, and would have been calming, were it not for the fact that it said something else entirely to Kratos. _Lloyd. Lloyd. Lloyd._ Each tick reminded him of each second he was missing, of each second that he would never get back because Lloyd was dead. Lloyd was _gone_. His _son_, his _child_, was _never. Coming. Back_.

_Tick. Tick. Tick._

Eventually, Kratos threw the clock across the room, causing it to splinter apart in wooden fragments and tumble to the ground. It stopped the actual ticking sound in the room, but couldn't stop the pain from resonating in the back of his mind, even when he dropped his head to his desk and clenched locks of auburn hair between tightly constricted fingers.

_Tick. Tick. Tick. Lloyd. Lloyd. Lloyd._

-

**089. **_**Fallen Angel**_

"Kratos? What happened?!"

Panic was the most prevalent emotion in Lloyd's voice as he ran to Kratos' side. Everyone else in the camp was deathly silent, staring with wide eyes as Kratos slowly made his way toward them, blood soaking his hand and his back. He was missing his shirt, his chest and back exposed, showing every scar and every fresh lash.

"Lloyd. I'm . . . fine."

"You're sure as hell _not_ fine!" Lloyd caught Kratos as Kratos stumbled, pulling Kratos' arm around his shoulders. "Now tell me what happened!"

". . . I wasn't careful enough." Kratos' voice was perfectly steady despite the pain he was obviously in, something Lloyd knew he should have expected. Kratos was the type to always remain in control, no matter his state. "Lord Yggdrasill . . . saw through me."

"What are you talking about?"

"I think he means that old Yggdrasill finally realized what a traitor he was," Zelos spoke up, seated casually by the fire. "Doesn't look like Cruxis goes easy on traitors."

Lloyd helped Kratos sit down by the fire, and it was only then that he got a good look at Kratos' back. Deep gashes were torn into Kratos' flesh, staining his back red and glaring angrily back up at Lloyd. Glancing at Kratos' hand, Lloyd saw that his Cruxis Crystal had been forcibly ripped out, leaving nothing but a bloody hole in its wake. "What do you mean, a traitor? Kratos is loyal to Cruxis."

"No." Kratos coughed, a bit of blood coming up on his lip, as Raine moved closer, staff in hand. She seemed hesitant, but at a frantic look from Lloyd, she sighed and began to heal Kratos' wounds. "Wilder is right. I'm . . . not."

"What do you - "

"I've . . . been helping you. Lord Yggdrasill discovered this, and . . . marked me as a fallen angel. A traitor to heaven. Losing my wings . . . is a symbol of this status." Kratos chuckled, the sound low and throaty and mirthless. "But if becoming a . . . fallen angel . . . is my sentence for aiding you . . . then I will take it with honor and without complaint."

-

**090. **_**Word**_

Kratos was growing a bit frustrated with his son.

"Come on, Lloyd." Crouching down so that he could be closer to his son's eye level, Kratos willed himself to merely appear serious, not upset. "You can say it." Lloyd scrunched up his face, looking over to his stuffed dog with a frown. "It's one syllable. You can say one syllable, can't you?" Lloyd gurgled in response, and Kratos nodded. "Those weren't actually words, but I believe I heard two syllables in there. If you can manage two syllables, you can manage one. So, repeat after me: 'dad.'"

When Lloyd didn't respond, Kratos sighed. He and Anna had a bet running over what Lloyd's first word would be - whether it would be 'mama' or 'dada.' Personally, Kratos wasn't an advocate of baby language, but at this point he didn't care _how_ Lloyd pronounced 'dad,' so long as he said it.

"S . . ."

Kratos looked over at his son, only half-paying attention. "No, Lloyd," he said tiredly. "It starts with a 'd,' not an 's.'"

But Lloyd was not paying attention to Kratos, or even looking at him at all. Instead, his eyes were trained on an item propped up against the wall, an item whose position Kratos was always constantly aware of, even if he wasn't consciously thinking about it. "Sor."

"Hm?" Kratos noticed Lloyd's line of sight then, and looked back and forth between his son and his sword. "What did you say?"

"Sor." Lloyd raised one hand to point at Kratos' sword, seeming insistent. "Soooooor."

"Sword." Kratos couldn't help the small grin that quirked on his lips. "You mean the sword, Lloyd."

"Sor." Lloyd nodded and Kratos chuckled, picking his son up and setting him on his lap.

"I was right before. I _will_ have to begin your training soon."


	10. Drabbles 91 through 100

* * *

One Hundred Missed Moments

* * *

**091. **_**Crown**_

"Are you sure you want to give me this?"

Kratos looked up, surprised at Lloyd's question. In his hands Lloyd held Flamberge, the flame-shaped blade gleaming in the evening light. Kratos looked away again.

"Yes. It goes well with the Vorpal Sword." Lloyd walked over to sit beside Kratos, still examining the flame-styled blade in his hands.

"But this was yours for a long time, right? It was special to you."

"And now it is yours. As my son, it is your right to wield it."

"That almost makes it sound like a crown." Kratos looked over, unsure of his son's comparison, but Lloyd went on. "It's like you're a king, passing down the kingdom to me as the prince."

". . . Heh. I suppose you're right."

-

**092. **_**Fictitious person**_

"Hey, Kratos?" Kratos looked over at the blond child, watching as he crawled up to sit in a chair that was much too big for him. "Can you tell me a story?"

"What story would you like, Dhaos?" Dhaos, one of the children born on Derris-Kharlan, was the only one who ever requested stories from Kratos. Dhaos was imaginative, with big dreams and wild ambitions that were not unlike those Mithos used to possess. Dhaos pondered the question for a few moments before saying:

"One about a hero."

"A hero . . . Hm." Kratos thought about it for a moment and then began, closing his eyes. "Once upon a time," he said, causing Dhaos to grin brightly in excitement, "there were two separate worlds known as Sylvarant and Tethe'alla. In Tethe'alla the land was flourishing, but in Sylvarant the land was dying, and in the wilds of Sylvarant there was a hero named Lloyd Irving . . ."

-

**093. **_**Indirectly**_

Kratos thought that maybe, just once, he'd be able to tell Lloyd that he cared. Maybe. Just once.

Lloyd was exhausted after that fight, panting and down on one knee while Raine Sage healed his wounds. The fight against the guardian of the Seal of Light was harder than any they'd faced so far and Kratos knew that the events that would transpire at the Tower of Salvation were going to be even worse on Lloyd. Kratos didn't want to know what would happen if Lloyd wasn't prepared. As he walked over to Lloyd, Kratos prepared what he would say in his mind, practicing it over and over.

_I'll ask him if he is all right. . . . No, that is pointless, for it is obvious that Raine Sage is already tending his wounds. I'll tell him, then, to be more careful in the future - or, I will not tell him that, because that sounds as if I am criticizing him. Instead, I'll tell him that he did well today, and that should he need assistance in the future he can ask it of me, because regardless of what may happen in the future, I am here for - _

"Kratos? You need something?"

". . . You sustained those injuries because of your typical careless mistakes. Your footwork was sloppy and if I hadn't trained you myself, I would believe from the carelessness of your swordsmanship that you'd never been trained. If you wish to survive, you'll work on that." _. . . Damn it._

". . . Oh, yeah. You're right." Lloyd looked away briefly, eyes downcast, yet looked back up at Kratos a moment later. "Thanks, Kratos. I'll be more careful from now on."

". . . Hm." Kratos looked away with a small grunt, surprised that Lloyd was being gracious with the criticism. _Perhaps he is more intuitive than I gave him credit for,_ Kratos mused. _After all, I criticize because I care._

-

**094. **_**Good-bye**_

Ever since the day Kratos left for Derris-Kharlan, Lloyd cursed himself for saying goodbye.

"Goodbye" insinuated permanence. It insinuated that Lloyd would never see Kratos again. Time and time again, Lloyd wondered why he hadn't said "see you later" or something similar. Wouldn't that have been more appropriate? Wouldn't that have taken the sting off?

It was for that reason that Lloyd vowed never to utter "goodbye" to another person again. "Goodbye" hurt. "Goodbye" left a raw, aching wound that pulsated every time he looked up to the night sky, something that might scar over but would never stop hurting. "Goodbye" left a bitter aftertaste in his mouth that could never be washed down, left a nagging tick at the back of his mind reminding him that someone near and dear to his heart was gone and was _never coming back_.

Lloyd said once that he hated the word "justice," but it was far from his least favorite word.

No, his least favorite word - the word he hated more than any other - was "goodbye."

And that was something Lloyd was positive would never, ever change.

-

**095. **_**Assistance**_

Kratos was always helping Lloyd.

It was something that Lloyd had come to accept, even after it was revealed that Kratos had been working for Cruxis the entire time, planning on betraying them from the very start. Whether it was offering him added protection on the battlefield, a helping hand up, answers to his homework or training on the side, Kratos was always helping Lloyd without first asking if the boy needed help. Of course, Kratos Aurion never asked for anything. He always just acted, and then treated later consequences with a grunt and a turned back.

Perhaps it was for this reason that when the Aurion family locket saved him in the Hall of the Great Seed, Lloyd didn't see it as being strange. He didn't feel that a stroke of coincidence had saved him, or that mere luck had lent him a helping hand. No, Lloyd saw it as yet another stroke of assistance on Kratos' part, protecting his son even when he wasn't there to do so directly.

-

**096. **_**Sunlight streaming through the trees**_

As they walked through the trees surrounding Lake Umacy, Lloyd had the strangest sense of déjà vu.

He was walking behind Kratos, who was leading the way for once. Colette and Genis were beside him with Sheena and Raine bringing up the rear. Despite the fact that Genis was talking to him and Sheena was trying to get his attention, Lloyd couldn't keep his eyes off Kratos' back; and as the sunlight breached the leaves at just the right time and struck light across the back of Kratos' purple uniform, Lloyd stopped cold in his tracks.

"H - Hey!" Sheena exclaimed, bumping into Lloyd because of his sudden stop. Lloyd didn't budge, his entire form rigid. He was positive he'd seen that before, was positive that he'd seen it years ago, somewhere buried deep in his childhood. "What'd you stop for?"

Kratos turned, breaking the illusion, and Lloyd shook his head to try and clear it. For a second, for just a split second, the memory had been on the tip of his tongue; he'd been about to ask about it, had been about to realize it, but when Kratos turned, all remnants of the memory slipped from his grasp and fell down through the cracks of his mind, like water being absorbed into the dirt. Lloyd shook his head one last time, fighting to push the remaining wisps of déjà vu from his sense of being.

"N - Nothing. Sorry. Hey, Kratos, mind if we switch positions? I really wanna get to the unicorn as soon as possible." It was a lie, and not a very strong one, but Kratos acquiesced with a nod and entirely stoic expression. Gratefully, Lloyd jogged forward, taking the lead and forcing himself not to notice how - when the sunlight had come through the trees just right and lit up Kratos' eyes - there was something about Kratos' serious expression that seemed strongly, strangely familiar.

-

**097. **_**The common cold**_

"You've never been sick?"

It was a question that felt completely out of the blue, and Lloyd turned to Kratos with a raised eyebrow. "Huh?"

"You said earlier that you'd never been sick." Kratos walked over to sit next to Lloyd at the campfire, looking over to the boy with a scrutinizing expression. "Is that true?"

"Oh, uh, yeah." Lloyd picked up a stick off the ground and broke it, throwing one half into the fire. "I've never even had a cold. Weird, huh?"

". . . Indeed."

"It kind of sucks, though. Because I was never sick, I never had a legitimate reason for skipping school. Not that the Professor would have excused me from doing homework anyway." Lloyd pulled a face, throwing the other half into the fire. "What about you, Kratos? Have you ever been sick?"

". . . A long time ago." Silence fell between them for a few moments before Kratos asked, "I wonder . . . if you inherited your immune system from one of your parents."

"Maybe." Lloyd shrugged, flopping down to lay on his back. "But it doesn't really matter, does it? The important thing is that I've never been sick, and probably never will be."

"Heh." Kratos picked up a stick of his own, tossing it into the flickering flames. "Indeed."

-

**098. **_**Cloud**_

"I think that cloud looks like a hammer."  
"Mm."  
"What do you think, Kratos?"  
". . . What do I think about what?"  
"The _clouds_. That one - what do you think that one looks like?"  
". . . It looks like a cloud."  
"Well, duh. It _is_ a cloud. But beyond that. Use your imagination!"  
"This is pointless."  
"And that's exactly the point. We don't have anything to do right now, so we might as well play a game with what we do have, right?"  
"Wouldn't this be a game better played with the Chosen or Genis?"  
"Genis is trying to stop the Professor from cooking dinner and Colette's resting, and you already _knew_ that. Now stop trying to dodge the question."  
"Fine."  
". . . Well?"  
". . . A double-bladed sword."  
"Huh?"  
"It looks like a double-bladed sword."  
"Oh. . . . Yeah, I could see that. But, hey, look at that one! It looks kind of like a moose."  
". . . Indeed."  
". . . It's your turn, Kratos."  
". . . Fine. The one beside the one you just pointed out looks like a book."  
"A book? I . . . don't really see that."  
"The shape of it looks like an open book."  
"I don't know, I kind of think it looks like a butterfl - "  
"The one beside it looks like a fallen angel."  
"Uh - "  
"And I believe the one to the northeast of the fallen angel appears to be a body slain on the battlefield."  
". . . Maybe we shouldn't go cloud-watching anymore."  
". . . Hmm. Perhaps not."

-

**099. **_**Voice**_

Everyone had an inner voice to guide them. For Lloyd, his inner voice was that of Kratos Aurion.

He didn't used to hear Kratos' voice inside his mind. Back when Kratos was still within one world or the other, when Lloyd wasn't sure if Kratos was going to walk around the corner or not, the only inner voice guiding him was his own raw instinct. But after he used the power of the Eternal Sword to send Kratos to Derris-Kharlan, Kratos' voice was the one that offered him advice inside his mind, the one that told him when he was doing something foolish, the one who showed him the path to salvation when he was positive that all was lost. Any other person might have thought that he was crazy if they knew, but Lloyd knew he wasn't insane. He wasn't _really_ hearing Kratos; he was merely taking advice from his own instinct that modeled itself after someone that he knew he could always trust.

One that he knew would help him even in the bleakest of times, even when he was positive that the only thing that awaited him was death.

_Lloyd,_ his inner-Kratos seemed to say, _remain calm. Place your arm over your nose and mouth so that the fabric of your sleeve filters the smoke._

_Right._ Lloyd did as he was told, the smoke of the corridor making his eyes sting, and the sleeve of his jacket making it easier to breathe. _Now what?_

_Get down on the ground. Crawl on your stomach toward the exit. The main door is blocked, but you saw a trap door when you entered the room. Remember where it was and go through it._

_Got it._ Lloyd closed his eyes as he lowered himself to the ground, trying to remember where it was that he saw the trap door.

_To the northwest,_ his inner-Kratos reminded him. Lloyd nodded mutely, holding his breath as he crawled toward the trap door, pausing every now and then to breathe through his sleeve before moving forward again. Shoving open the trap door once he reached it, Lloyd dropped himself through, immediately taking a deep breath of the cleaner air in the underground tunnel. _Now, think,_ his inner-Kratos instructed, _which way do you need to go in order to reach the room where they are holding your friends captive?_

"North," Lloyd murmured, turning in the proper direction. "So I need to go this way." His inner-Kratos didn't respond again, and wouldn't unless he found himself in need of guidance again, but that was all right; Lloyd could feel the silent approval in his mind, and that was all that really mattered.

-

**100. **_**365 Days**_

A lot would happen within one year.

Within one year, all of the Exspheres upon Derris-Kharlan would be thrown out into the recesses of space, and a journey to rid Aselia of all the Exspheres contained within would begin.

Within one year, Key Crests would be forged and attached to the Cruxis Crystals of angels, and tensions would begin to rise between the Sylvaranti and Tethe'allans.

Within one year, a successful communication link would be formed between Derris-Kharlan and Aselia, and the leader of the world heroes would begin to focus his efforts less on Exspheres and more on the rising tensions between the two nations.

Within one year, a Seraphim would listen to daily reports of the ways his son was changing and adapting to the changing world around him, would listen to daily reports of how his son was steadily working to prevent demons from being unleashed upon the world before the rest of the world had a clue of what was going on.

A lot could and would change within one year. A lot would happen as time shifted on, aging all those contained within it without mercy. But although each day would tick by relentlessly, there were two things that would never change no matter how many days ended up passing:

Kratos Aurion would always be proud of his son.

And Lloyd Irving would never stop thinking about his father.

* * *

**Authors' Note: **So, I was finally able to complete something! I feel so accomplished. :) So ends my one hundred drabble challenge. I hope I brought you plenty of warm oyako fuzzies, even with the ones that weren't so warm and fuzzy as they were depressing, haha. Just as a couple final notes:

The Dhaos you see in "Fictitious person" _is _supposed to be the same Dhaos from _Tales of Phantasia._

"Sunlight streaming through the trees" was inspired by the Ex-load in the manga where Lloyd can remember Kratos' back.

"The common cold" is based off my personal theory that Kratos' angel status at the time of Lloyd's conception altered Lloyd's DNA to the point where he's immune to most illnesses and whatnot. He doesn't have heightened senses, wings, or immortality, but he can't get sick either.

"World of Dreams," from another drabble set, was inspired by the anime _Ghost Hunt _in which Mai, the main character, has dreams about Naru (another main character) that lead her to answers regarding whatever case they're working on. The dreams obviously weren't romantic in this set, though.

Aaaaand that's it! Please review!


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